


The Universal Language

by tinyduck



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Band Fic, Cloud Strife can sing, Drug and Alcohol Mentions, F/M, Hormones running rampant, I made Kairi a bitch and I regret it so she's going to grow out of that real quick, Imagine com-axel at your uni he’d be the most charming pos, Let me tell you I made Sebastian the crab an antagonist and I don’t regret that at all, Reader-Insert, Teenagers being melodramatic, There’s some smut now whoops, Tidus can sing?, if you don't think tidus would be the best and worst lead singer in the world you're wrong, riku is riku but with a bigger libido and more emotionally stunted, roxas is lazy cool, sora wants to be insta famous
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2019-10-24 19:36:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 158,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17710310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinyduck/pseuds/tinyduck
Summary: Riku is already bad enough at expressing his feelings as is, but put a guitar in his hand?And have Tidus as his songwriter extraordinaire?Might as well throw in the Strife family, Axel as a Don Juan intent on stealing you away, some (not so friendly) rivalry, and make sure he definitely doesn't have a chance in hell.Axel x You x Riku





	1. When the Sun Goes Down

**Author's Note:**

> The first six chapters were written nearly a decade ago. I finally rewrote parts to fit the story going forward, but things might flow a little weirdly. Also added lots of swearing and inappropriate language instead of cleaning it up because why not?!
> 
> All chapters will have song lyrics italicized. 
> 
> Disclaimer for the whole story because I never remember: I only own this story idea. All characters, references to Kingdom Hearts, and songs are not my property etc. etc. etc.

“Whoa. Hey, hey, hey, check it out!” Tidus said, darting from his seat to stand at the very entrance of the garage, nimbly avoiding the web of wires that branched off in every direction on the floor. “Moving van. Wonder who is coming in, yeah?” The other three boys in the garage made their way to where Tidus was standing, watching the van in the driveway of the house beside them curiously.

“Huh, at least they’re moving in now,” Riku said quietly. “That place has had the SOLD sign on it for months.”

“I wonder what they’re like?” Sora asked curiously, his fingers dancing over the silent strings of his guitar as he watched the van pull in.

“Whatever. I wonder if there’s any girls moving in?” Tidus asked eyes glued to the blue van that was pulling into the driveway.

“Yeah, yeah, keep your dick in your pants,” Roxas said dryly, twirling his drumsticks in his hand.

“Didn’t we come here to rehearse?” Riku asked, fiddling with a few cables. “Pretty sure you texted us saying you would ‘literally fucking die’ if you didn’t ‘shred some sweet chords’.”

“Shut up,” Tidus shot at him. “And besides Roxas, we both know you think I’ve got a slick dick and you’d love to get an eyeful of that baby.”

“What the fuck does that even mean?” Riku muttered and Sora laughed.

“I told you to shut it. We can’t all be drowning in pussy like you, Mr. Sex God,” Tidus answered, referring to the nickname the girls of Destiny High had given the older boy. “Eh, fogey old dad, middle-aged mum, some guy, what looks like a twelve year old girl, and oh yeah, that’s what I was looking for.” All three boys rolled their eyes at Tidus’s comments but, nevertheless, looked.

“Yeah, okay,” Sora breathed, bright blue eyes glued to the girl who had just stepped from the van. 

“Yeah,” Roxas agreed, unconsciously running a hand through his messy blond spikes. Riku didn’t say anything at all but just watched, finally deigning the small group with a comment.

“And she’s out of your league,” he pointed out completely unnecessarily, seeing just at that moment she had leaned up to give the black haired, silver-eyed boy who was with her a small kiss on the cheek. 

“Well gents, I do believe I’ve just found my next girlfriend and I’ll just have to prove to her that I’m that much better than that sleaze ball,” Tidus said smugly. “What do you say we attract fair maiden’s attention with some music?” Without waiting for a reply, the tanned, blue-eyed, blond haired Blitzball player leapt back to his microphone and turned on the amps, eagerly dragging everything closer to the entrance so ‘fair maiden’ could see them if she glanced over. He snatched his guitar from its stand, fingers already dancing across the strings in anticipation.

Sora, Roxas, and Riku reluctantly joined their lead singer, said lead singer now oozing sex appeal as he tried to catch ‘fair maiden’s’ eye.

“What song?” Riku asked, and Tidus paused, tapping his lips for a moment. 

“How about When the Sun Goes Down?” He finally said. “We can sing our hearts away about what scumbags men can be.” Riku rolled his eyes, Sora laughed nervously, and Roxas snorted, tapping his drumsticks in the air to set the tempo.

“Sure. Because making a girl feel like a hooker is the best way to get her attention,” Roxas chirped, grinning widely as he saw the looked of horrified realization spread its way across Tidus’s face.

~*~

“Thanks for helping me carry my stuff, Hiroshi!”

You had finally reached Destiny Islands after months of planning your trip, traveling, packing, and enrolling into a brand new school. Giving Hiroshi a quick kiss on the cheek, you broke away and turned to the moving truck your parents had rented, grabbing a box from its depths. You turned to walk up the driveway when the gentle strumming of a guitar caught your attention. Glancing at the house beside the one your parents now owned, you caught sight of the four boys at the entrance of the garage.

The lead singer gave you a wink and smiled before opening his mouth to sing, and you nearly burst out laughing when you heard the lyrics.

“ _Who’s that girl there? I wonder what went wrong so that she had to roam the streets. She don’t do major credit cards I doubt she does receipts. It’s all not quite legitimate_.”

“What’s going on?” Hiroshi asked, standing beside you, a similar box in his arms.

“ _And what a scummy man._ ” Hiroshi flushed as Tidus continued to sing, oblivious or ignoring the angry red flush creeping up Hiroshi’s neck. “ _Just give him half a chance I bet he’ll rob you if he can. Can see it in his eyes, yeah that he’s got a driving ban amongst some other offences_.” You shrugged, walking up to the front door and depositing the box in the front hall, Hiroshi close behind as the two of you walked back down to get another box.

“ _And I’ve seen him with girls of the night and he told Roxanne to put on her red light. We’re all infected but he’ll be alright cause he’s a scumbag, don’t you know…_ ” You laughed loudly, and Tidus smiled at you, Hiroshi’s hands tightening into fists. Perhaps to provoke the already irritated male, or simply because it was in the lyrics (we shall never know) Tidus sang, “ _I said he’s a scumbag, don’t you know!_ ” Immediately afterward, the rest of the boys joined in, the steady drumbeats intertwining with the sudden chords played by the guitars and bass.

Taking a deep breath, Tidus opened his mouth and sang, “ _Although you’re trying not to listen, avert your eyes and staring at the ground._ ” You turned and looked back at them, Tidus winking at you, and Sora smiling widely at you, Roxas and Riku concentrating on their instruments. You gave them a brilliant smile, a blush flushing Sora’s face and Tidus’s smirk growing bigger. “ _She makes a subtle proposition – ‘Sorry love, I’ll have to turn you down”._

Hiroshi’s head whipped up, his silver eyes cold and calculating as you rolled your eyes at his reaction, bending to get another box. Tidus resisted the urge to wolf whistle, and instead locked eyes with the angry male before him.

“ _I know he must be up to summat. What are the chances sure it’s more than likely. I’ve got a feeling in my stomach. I start to wonder what his story might be what his story might be!_ ”

“They’re just trying to be neighbourly,” you said teasingly, and gently nudged Hiroshi. “He even said he wants to know your story. Didn’t you say we should be trying to make new friends?”

“ _They said it changes when the sun goes down! They said it changes when the sun goes down! They said it changes when the sun goes down around here! Around here!_ ” 

Next Tidus pretend that he was looking down the street. You and Hiroshi turned to look down the street, but there was nobody there. 

“ _Look here comes a Ford Mondeo. Isn’t he Mister Inconspicuous? And he don’t even have to say ‘owt – she’s in the stance ready to get picked up,_ ” Tidus sang, his eyes unashamedly tracing up and down your body. Hiroshi frowned. You tried not to smile. 

“ _Bet she’s delighted when she sees him pulling in and giving her the eye, because she must be fucking freezing scantily clad beneath the clear night sky she doesn’t stop in the winter, no. They said it changes when the sun goes down! Yeah, they said it changes when the sun goes down! They said it changes when the sun goes down around here!_ ”

“What are they even singing about?” Hiroshi grumbled angrily and you leaned in, trying to keep your voice and face completely serious, and failing miserably.

“Well, Hiro,” you whispered, “I think they’re insinuating that you pick up prostitutes.”

“WHAT?”

“ _They said it changes when the sun goes down! Over the river going out of town. They said it changes when the sun goes down around here – around here!_ ” Tidus looked at Hiroshi once more, laughter etched all over his face. “ _What a scummy man; just give him half a chance I bet he’ll rob you if he can. Can see it in his eyes yeah that he’s got a nasty plan._ ” He turned to look at you, a mock serious expression on his face, “ _I hope you’re not involved at all._ ”

Once the song was finished, Hiroshi darted forward and grabbed Tidus by his white t-shirt collar, his voice roiling with anger.

“What’s up with that, jackass?”Hiroshi growled and you laughed, ambling over.

“Hey come on, Hiro,” you said, a smile on your face. “They don’t mean any harm.”

“They sound like they do,” Hiro snapped, all but lifting Tidus off the ground.

“Stop it. You’re taking it way too far!” you said angrily, trying to pull his arm back down.

“Think of it like a warning to everyone not to fuck around with my baby sister. Especially you,” Hiroshi shot back angrily, jerking his head over at Riku who snorted and ignored him completely.

“You do it and mum kills you,” you warned. Hiroshi turned a furious gaze back at you before whipping back to face Tidus, his knuckles white. After another tense minute, Hiroshi reluctantly let go of Tidus’s shirt, glaring fiercely as Tidus gaped at the two of you.

“Wait a minute, you – you’re siblings? He’s your BROTHER?” he managed to squeak out and you nodded, tilting your head to one side.

“Yeah. Of course he is!” Tidus turned to look accusingly at Riku who shrugged and raised his hands in front of him in a defensive gesture.

“Hey man, she’s still out of your league,” he said, smirking. Tidus whipped back around to look at Hiroshi, who was still positively furious.

“Man, I am so sorry. I thought you were her boyfriend and I thought it’d be funny to fuck around with you a little bit, the lead singer said, apologizing profusely.

“Singing about hookers is a weird way of fucking around with someone,” Hiro deadpanned, his arms tightly crossed across his chest.

“No for sure. I have a…weird sense of humour,” Tidus said lamely.

“Weird doesn’t even begin to cover it,” Roxas called from the back.

Shooting a dirty look at his friend, Tidus extended a hand. “I’m Tidus.”

“Yeah? I don’t care,” Hiroshi said, smiling coldly, his teeth gleaming in the sun. He left without another word, Tidus looking incredulously at you. You smiled awkwardly and opened your mouth to apologize when Hiro called your name. Shooting them a small smile, you quickly ran after him into the house.

~*~

“Oh you’re kidding me!” Tidus cried, flopping down into a deck chair and taking a long, frustrated drink from his ice-cold pop. “The day I see my future wife—"

“I thought she was going to be your girlfriend?” Roxas asked, and Tidus glared at him.

“ANYWAY. The day I see my future WIFE is the day her insane older brother decides that I’m a dick.”

“You are a dick.”

“Thanks, Sora. Really helping there, bud. This sucks,” Tidus muttered mutinously. “Why does my life suck so bad? I mean honestly. What am I supposed to do? Date Selphie again? Selphie?!” Suddenly Tidus’s face slowly brightened as he sat up a little bit straighter. “I got it.”

“Oh great,” Riku muttered. Considering the past experiences with Tidus and one of his plans, it never ended up well. 

“Is this going to be like that time you convinced us that the man two doors down was an alien and then when we went to spy on him he found us, thought we were terrorists and threw us in jail because it turned out that he was a part of the secret police?” Sora asked anxiously, but Tidus ignored him.

“Since I can’t have her, one of you guys will just have to get her, you know? It’s perfect. If it all works out you’ll fuck it up somehow, her brother will hate you, I’ll be back in his good books and I can marry her later,” Tidus crowed. Roxas arched an eyebrow at him and threw his empty pop can at Tidus’s head.

“And which one of ‘us guys’ were you planning on using for her boyfriend? If we went through with your stupid plan, which sucks and won’t work, and then you’ll have alienated Riku’s next door neighbour on the world’s smallest island where gossip travels faster than the speed of light,” Roxas said, trying to reason with him. “And after what happened with Selphie, you should know not to fuck around with girls’ feelings.” 

“So basically, you’re saying you won’t do it,” Tidus said slowly, looking at Roxas to make sure he was right. Roxas nodded, rolling his eyes as he threw up his hands in exasperation.

“You’re such a dumbass. You didn’t get what I was saying at all.” Tidus sighed morosely and ignored him, turning to his remaining friends.

“Sora?”

Sora looked up, his thumb pausing its neverending scroll through his Instagram feed. “What?”

“Yeah,” Tidus said, eyeing Sora skeptically. “Definitely not you. That just leaves our resident ‘Sex God’, doesn’t it, Riku?”

“No. Her brother already thinks I’m and asshole and honestly, I don’t want bad blood between my new next door neighbours and my family,” Riku said immediately, and Tidus immediately began to plead while attempting, and failing, to look innocent.

“Aw, come on.”

“No.” 

“Please?”

“No.”

“Won’t you even consider…”

“NO. I’m not going to get into a relationship so you can vicariously date someone through me,” the silver haired boy said, his tone indicating that this conversation was over.

Too bad Tidus was never good at noticing things like that.

“Well, well, well! Already jumping to her defense, huh? he said, and when Riku opened his mouth to retort, Tidus quickly cut him off with a hasty, “It was a rhetorical question. Look, all I’m saying is just, you know, try and get to know her a little, show her around, and at the end of summer invite her for a swim at the beach and make sure to invite me,” Tidus said, a cattish grin on his face.

“And look, all I’M saying is that no, I’m not going to do it for your gratification,” Riku said sternly and in the few minutes of silence afterwards, Riku truly believed that the matter was dropped until,

“What, so you’d do it for your own gratification?”


	2. You Probably Couldn't See for the Lights but You Were Staring Straight at Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Link to song: http://youtube.com/watch?v=2HSpxDeZ7Tk
> 
> Frank Spencer - character from a British show...known for being a Momma's Boy and stumbling over his words a lot... I dunno. I got it off a site. XD
> 
> Lyrics are italicized.

“Sora, you’ve got to help me!” Tidus said sternly, waving round his bit of toast. 

“Why are you asking me?” Sora muttered, brushing a few crumbs off of his bedspread, wishing he had told his mother not to let Tidus in. 

“Because you’re his best friend,” Tidus expounded, and Sora sighed, abandoning his toast on the plate and leaning back in his desk chair.

“That’s just a half-assed reason. Just because I’m his best friend doesn’t mean that I’m going to be able to convince him to go out with someone,” Sora protested lazily, having grown bored of this argument within the first five seconds.

“Look. Sora. All I’m trying to do is get a tiny sliver of happiness for Riku. The guy needs to get laid. He needs to rediscover the joys of having a girl around. Especially after, you know,” Tidus said enthusiastically albeit awkwardly, and Sora cast him a skeptical glance.

“Why do you sound like you’re narrating something from a cheap romance novel?” Sora asked and Tidus beamed. 

“Because Riku’s life is full of cheap romance novel material!”

“Right, but you still don’t have a plan. And you suck at making plans,” Sora said, and Tidus smiled evilly, pulling a notebook from his bag and snatching a pen from the desk.

“Let me introduce you to the art of subtlety,” the blitzball player crowed and Sora laughed.

“You can’t be serious? Riku’s going to take one look at it and he’ll refuse to play it.”

“Not if we get her there too. Riku’s got such an ego he won’t want her to know something’s up,” Tidus announced gleefully and Sora shook his head in disbelief, a smile on his face.

“You really thought this out, didn’t you?” he said in awe, and Tidus grinned.

“I have my moments.”

Sora grinned eagerly, excitement glimmering in his eyes. “What’re we going to sing?” Tidus blinked.

“That’s a good question,” Sora resisted the urge to repeatedly slam his head in his wall, suffocate himself in his pillow, and just generally pretend that he wasn’t friends with complete idiots. “Whatever, we’ll wait until the muse strikes. If he tells you anything about her, tell me, alright? No matter how depreaved it is,” Tidus ordered, and Sora nodded reluctantly. After letting out an exuberant goodbye, Tidus left, leaving him to puzzle over if what he was doing was right, and if Riku’d try to kill him afterwards.

~*~

“You look like shit,” Sora said, looking at Riku. “Did you sleep at all last night?” Riku shook his head, and Sora tilted his head to look him quizzically. “Is that a no, I didn’t sleep last night or a no, I don’t want to talk about it right now?”

“Tidus,” Riku mumbled, and Sora glanced over at where the hyper teen was busying browsing the stalls ahead of them, loudly haggling with an old woman over some knickknack or another. 

“What can’t you say in front of him? Sora asked, curiosity gnawing away at him.

“Hey guys! Check it out! This looks like a giant dildo!” Tidus yelled, gesturing frantically for his friends to see the novelty item. The two boys ambled over to where Tidus was standing, Sora recoiling from the garish item before him.

“Looks good,” Sora supplied weakly, looking pointedly at his best friend to say something before Tidus realized something was up.

“Yeah, man,” Riku murmured, not even glancing at the phallic object before him. Tidus gave Riku a strange look and Sora, noticing the build to a loud, overly embarrassing third-degree interrogation in the middle of the market, quickly stepped in.

“You should see if they have a matching one somewhere else,” Sora said.

“Why?” Tidus asked, looking at the brunet suspiciously. “Look, I don’t judge, but sometimes you gotta keep some things about yourself a secret.”

“Not that, you weirdo. We can get it as a gag gift for Wakka’s birthday,” Sora said with a snort. Tidus’s eyes lit up.

“I’ll look around,” he said with a smirk, dashing off to find the most embarrassing items he could.

“Wakka’s super Catholic mom is going to love that,” Riku told Sora in a deadpan voice, and his best friend frowned.

“I’d like to see you think of a better excuse,” Sora muttered. “Anyway, what were you talking about before?” The brunet replayed the previous conversation. “I mean, what were you not talking about before?” Riku flushed imperceptibly, and Sora let out a disbelieving whistle. “That bad, huh?” he said in awe. Riku rarely blushed. Even in the fifth grade when Seifer had pantsed him, underwear and all, he had stoically pulled his undergarments back up and then rinsed the other boy so hard he had to get stitches.

“Her bedroom window is across from mine,” Riku forced out, and Sora just looked at him urging him to continue spilling his secret. “She was getting changed into her pajamas.” Sora laughed.

“Most people do at night, Ri,” he said, amused. Riku shook his head so his long silken bangs covered cerulean eyes and part of his pink tinted cheeks.

“She doesn’t have curtains on her window,” the older boy whispered, shoving his hands in his pockets. Sora’s eyes went wide as he opened and closed his mouth, a blush spreading across his nose.

“Oh. Damn,” was all the guitarist was able to squeak out, not sure what else he could say. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, “You’re a pervert.” Riku shot him a venomous glare.

“Thanks, Sora. Real helpful.” The two boys slowly walked over to where Tidus had run off, Sora awkwardly scratching his head.

Well, that was one way to spark interest between the two of you.

~*~ 

In all the years Sora had known Riku, there were a few things he knew that held true every year:

1) Riku was always early for everything  
2) Riku loathed school with a passion, moreso than usual now that he was in his senior year and deep in the throes of teenage rebellion, questioning the moral and ethical implications of higher education and wondering if an A in English really meant everything. This was in blatant contrast to Sora’s love of school as a social watering hole to catch up and post an obnoxious amount of snapchats  
3) In some bizarre form of revolt, he had developed the habit of arriving to class just in the nick of time as a way of dipping his toe into non-violent forms of protest  
4) Sora was spending way too much time looking into a psych major and needed to stop overanalyzing his best friend’s actions.

“RI! Hurry up!” Sora whined arms crossed as he waited for Riku to finally come downstairs.

“We’ve got plenty of time,” Riku grumbled, slipping on his shoes and grabbing his backpack.

“But you know the lists for homerooms always get crowded this late,” the brunet sighed, stepping out into the bright sunshine, not a cloud in sight.

“Sora, I doubt everybody’s going to go to school now when it doesn’t start for another hour,” Riku muttered, brushing his bangs back from his face as Sora grinned.

“Aw, is Sleeping Beauty mad ‘cause I disturbed his sleep?” he asked sweetly. “Get any sleep last night? Or were you too busy perving out your window at – hey!” Sora yelped as Riku smacked the back of his head, irritated.

“Shut it,” Riku growled and Sora smiled as he rubbed his head. As the two boys walked down Riku’s driveway, a call stopped them.

“Hey!” you said, smiling at the two of them, bag tucked beneath your arm. “D’you mind if I walk with you? Hiro is going to the university and I have no clue where the high school is so…” 

“Sure!” Sora chirped brightly. You thanked them and started walking with them, chattering with Sora. You tried to engage Riku in conversation, but he answered quietly and shortly, not giving you, or Sora, a lot of room to take the conversation further. Tidus eventually joined your tiny group, a cattish grin on his face as he looked at Riku walking beside you.

“Aw, is out little Ri feeling left out?” he whispered quietly, narrowly avoiding the elbow aimed at his gut. Riku would have retaliated, but you turned and greeted Tidus, saving the lucky boy from a series of disturbing and deadly threats.

As you all neared the school, a redheaded girl suddenly called over to Sora and Riku, waving madly.

“Kairi!” Sora said, clearly surprised. Once she had run over to your group, Sora motioned to you, grinning. “Kairi, (Name). (Name), Kairi.” You said a quiet hello and smiled at her, a bit taken aback when all she did was arch an eyebrow at you, a hint of a sneer on her lips as she turned her back.

“Okay then,” you muttered and Tidus nudged your shoulder apologetically.

“Kairi’s a bit weird whenever she sees another girl around Ri or Sora,” he explained quietly and you nodded slowly. “Which is weird as fuck, considering she played both of them. Guess bitches really do be crazy,” Tidus mused and a fist shot out and hit the side of his head.

“Instead of standing here and gossiping, you might want to show (Name) around since Riku and Sora are busy?” Roxas suggested in a dry voice, giving you a tiny smile as you greeted him.

“What? Is this ‘Abuse Tidus Day’ or something?” the lead singer whimpered, feigning hurt.

“Come on you weirdo, you can show me where to find out what I have for homeroom,” you said, rolling your eyes at his melodramatic actions. 

‘We’ll go too!” Sora suddenly shouted, cutting Kairi off. “Might as well,” he said, laughing nervously once he noticed the strange looks he was getting. Kairi shrugged, giving him a cute smile.

“I’ll see you later then,” she promised, lightly touching Riku’s arm – he shrugged off her hand – and giving Sora a tiny kiss on the cheek. “Bye guys,” she said and gave everyone a warm smile, the corners of her mouth dropping slightly as her eyes met yours before she walked off.

“Ew,” Tidus muttered, wrinkling his nose. “I think you’ve got a bit of leftover slime on your cheek Sora.” Riku smirked at comment, Roxas glaring at Kairi’s retreating back. 

“Just a kiss,” Sora mumbled, blushing as he swiped a hand across his cheek. “Grow up.” Tidus smiled, ruffling Sora’s hair.

“You keep acting like this and I’m gonna puke in my mouth,” Tidus said cheerfully as you snickered.

“Homerooms, anybody?” Riku interrupted and you smiled at him.

“Sounds like a plan,” you agreed and turned, linking arms with Sora as he led you into the school.

“Speaking of, given any thought to my brilliant plan?” Tidus asked, sidling up beside Riku. Riku turned murderous eyes to the boy, and gave him a long overdue elbow to the stomach. “Take that as a no,” Tidus wheezed, clutching his stomach and stumbling after his friends.

~*~ 

“Man, they loved you, didn’t they?” Sora asked with a cheeky grin. You gave an embarrassed laugh. 

“It’s just because I’m fresh meat,” you shot back, smiling when you noticed his eyebrows shoot up. “Everybody here is very friendly though,” you said, before your mind flew to the condescending look Kairi had given you. “Well, almost everybody,” you amended.

“What happened?” Riku asked, curious in spite of himself.

“They were all acting like a bunch of twats,” Tidus said casually. “You’ve got half the guys in our class lining up to talk to her and pulling lame jokes out – bunch of show offs.”

“You think so?” you asked, amused.

“Trust me, did you see the looks on their faces? They really wanted to meet you. M-E-A-T you,” Tidus assured you. You shrugged, muttering a “gross” before looking at Riku.

“What about you? How was your day?” you inquired. Riku, completely caught off guard, stared at you blankly for a few minutes.

“I – it – what?” he managed to spit out, cringing at the way he had stumbled over his words. Tidus was going to have a field day.

“Chill, Frank Spencer,” Tidus laughed.

“She’s asking about homeroom, dickwad,” Roxas snorted. “You’ve got the Ultimate Bitch in your class, what happened?” 

You turned and tilted your head at Roxas, whispering, “Ultimate Bitch?” 

He grinned toothily, his eyes crinkling up at the corners as he whispered back, “Kairi.”

“S’okay, she kept trying to talk to me,” Riku said, catching Sora’s eye as he frowned. “Don’t even think about giving her a second chance,” he said in a warning tone.

“She’s not that bad you know,” Sora said weakly, and you frowned.

“I don’t know her that well, but from what I’ve seen she seems pretty bad,” you said firmly and turned to meet Riku’s eyes. Riku was glad for the shadows cast by Tidus’s house, as his face turned red.

“Thanks,” he finally managed to say, and you smiled at him. Tidus looked between the two of you, a calculating look in his eye as his mind whirred.

“Sora, Roxas, feel like coming over for a bit? I’ve just got something to talk to you about – project of a sort,” Tidus interjected casually. Sora turned questioning eyes to him but before he could speak, Tidus stepped on his foot.

“Er, yeah, we’ve got time,” the brunet supplied and he and Roxas followed Tidus inside as they muttering quick goodbyes. You blinked at them before turning back to look at Riku.

“Guess it’s just us then,” you said, laughing a bit. Before Riku could reply, a silver car pulled up to the curb, the window rolling down as Kairi popped her head out.

“Hey Ri,” she called. “We’re going to the mall, want to come?” Riku instantly decided he’d rather walk on broken glass than go shopping with Kairi, but he spotted the timid, and obviously miserable face of Xion in the back seat as she pleaded with him to lighten the torture of going shopping with Kairi.

“Sure,” he mumbled, moving to the back of the car instead of the passenger seat, though Kairi opened the door for him. When he finally sat down she drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, irritated. Catching sight of you standing awkwardly by yourself on the sidewalk, she plastered on a sorry look.

“Aw, we don’t have enough room…maybe another time? See ya, (Name),” Kairi said before driving off.

“Thanks for nothing, bitch,” you muttered after the car, starting the lonely walk back home.

~*~

“Ah,” Tidus said knowingly, stepping back from his bedroom window once Kairi’s car disappeared around the corner. “If Kairi’s acting all possessive now it means she knows that (Name) is a threat, and we all know what that means,” the blond crowed. Sora gave Roxas a sort of helpless shrug and Roxas crossed his arms.

“Do you ever think about how people aren’t just pawns in your weird, sick game?” the drummer answered in a deadpan voice, and Tidus grinned sheepishly.

“Nice to know Sora brought you up to date about The Plan.” Roxas rolled his eyes. “Now let’s write some sick shit.”

~*~ 

“Ri-ku,” a voice called softly, a hand reaching out to nudge the boy’s shoulder. 

“Fmuck orf,” the boy retaliated, voice muffled as he buried his face further into his pillow.

“Get up, you lazy bum,” Sora demanded. “Tidus and Roxas are already here waiting for you – we’ve got rehearsal today. We wrote a song yesterday and we want to try it out but we can’t until you drag your fat ass out of—” Riku threw a pillow in Sora’s face, effectively shutting him up. 

“I’m up,” the older teen groaned, swiping a hand down his face, yawning as he did so. Stretching languidly, he threw the covers off and stepped out of bed, clad only in a pair of black boxer briefs. Sora coughed awkwardly and Riku sighed. “What.”

“Ever give any thought to who else might be in the room?” the brunet asked, stifling a laugh. Riku turned and, standing just behind Sora with a blush on your face, you were staring at the expanse of skin revealed to you. Riku, props to him, did not even blush but instead casually grabbed a pair of plaid pajama bottoms and slipped them on, taking his clothes and stepping in the bathroom attached to his bedroom to change.

“I’ll be out in thirty,” Riku said through the door and Sora turned, grinning at your expression. Noticing his smile, you ducked your head, crossing your arms over your chest and tried to appear nonchalant.

“Don’t worry, a couple of girls fainted when they saw him in his bathing suit,” Sora said. “You did good, kid.”

After Riku finished his quick shower and got changed, grabbing a piece of toast to sustain him until lunch, he made his way into his garage where the amps and equipment were already set up, a sheet of music paper resting on his bass. Picking up his instrument with one hand and the music with the other, he glanced over the notes.

“We had a tiny writing session yesterday, but you were out so we keep it slick for you,” Tidus explained. “Did you have a fun time at the mall?” Tidus asked sweetly, and Riku glared daggers at him.

“If you kill him, you’ve gotta sing,” Roxas said, diffusing the murderous intent building between the two boys. Riku considered for a moment then shrugged, turning away from Tidus, who gave a relieved sigh. He’d live to see another day.

“Let’s try it?” he suggested, and Sora grinned. 

“Yeah!” he cheered enthusiastically. “Just the music. No words.” When the rest of the band gave the affirmative, they immediately jumped into the music as you sat quietly, momentarily forgotten. After about an hour of discussions and alterations, Tidus declared that he wanted to add in the lyrics. He sent you a charming smile.

“Ready for it, (Name)? You’re getting the first performance of ‘You Probably Couldn’t See for the Lights but You Were Staring Straight at Me’.” You smiled in reply.

“I’m ready.”

“Cool,” Tidus said, and Riku arched an eyebrow at the sudden mischievous look that had formed on Tidus’s face. Hell, even Roxas was smirking! And Sora was grinning like there was no tomorrow. But before the silver haired teen could protest, the three boys immediately jumped into the melody, Tidus and Sora in sync as they harmonized, Roxas keeping a steady rhythm underneath. Sighing, Riku joined at the next repetition, sliding in as his bass line coiled around the two guitars. One more repeat on the beginning theme and the melody was cut off with Roxas’s drumbeat, followed by two chords from the other three boys. A quick guitar and bass melody, and then Tidus broke off, plucking a tiny tune as a lead in to the lyrics…

And Riku quickly found out why they had all been smiling.

Roxas and Tidus each had tiny smirks on their faces as they sang, Tidus gauging Riku’s reaction from the corner of his eye. “ _One look sends it coursing through the veins, oh how the feeling races_.” You grinned at them, amused at how they had transformed the overly friendly attention of your male peers into this song as Roxas dropped out, leaving Tidus singing the next few lines.

“ _Back up to their brains to form expressions on their stupid faces_ ,” the blond sang, Roxas joining in once more. “ _They don't want to say hello_ ,” Tidus winked at you, singing solo once more, “ _like I want to say hello my heartbeat's at its peak, when you're coming up to speak. And oh I'm so tense and never tenser. Could all go a bit Frank Spencer and I'm talking gibberish tip of the tongue but I can't deliver it properly, oh, it's all getting on top of me and if it weren't this dark you'd see how red my face has gone, yeah_ ,” the lead singer finished, noticing how Riku’s jaw tightened imperceptibly. Hey, he should have been expecting it with the way he had been acting around you last night.

There was a tiny break as the band repeated the beginning theme, and then Tidus dove right back into the lyrics, a small laugh leaving your lips. “ _Everybody's trying to crack the jokes and that to make you smile. Those that claim that they're not showing off are drowning in denial but they're not half as bad as me_ ,” insert pointed look at Riku here, “ _say anything and I'll agree ‘cause when it comes to acting up, I'm sure I could write the book and now that you're more than a part in the play, it's slightly easier to think what to say._ ”

“ _You had us all standing on our heads_ ,” Roxas chimed in with Tidus. Sora grinned wildly, completely immersed in his playing, as Roxas looked energetic, Tidus acting a bit silly as he sang. Riku was the only one acting indifferent, long bangs hanging down to cover his face.

Tidus frowned. Well this just wouldn’t do. “ _Doing our best tricks yeah_ ,” he said, stopping for a brief lull in the playing as he strummed a few fast chords by himself, the other boys joining in for the last few beats as he repeated the measures again. There was a pause from the guitars as Roxas drummed out a few beats. Once he finished his tiny drum solo, Tidus and Roxas started singing, trying to get a rise out of their impassive bassist.

“ _Never again, never again will there be another one quite as desirable as you_.” Tidus dropped out this time, Roxas’s voice soaring past the instruments.

“ _One look sends it coursing through the veins, oh how the feeling races_ ,” he sang, resisting the urge to throw a drumstick at the back of Riku’s head. Tidus mentally sighed. Sora forgot why they were playing this in the first place he got so caught up in performing.

“ _Back up to their brains to form expressions on their stupid faces!_ ” Tidus finished and you applauded.

 

“Okay, that was pretty great,” you said truthfully, the energy from the music still pumping through your veins. Sora grinned, Roxas snorted and twirled a drumstick with his fingers, Tidus sighing as he stretched. All three boys glanced over at Riku, but Tidus looked back at you, a forlorn look on his face.

“It’s hard being a musical genius when some people are so damn dumb they don’t get why you’re singing what you’re singing. We’ll just have to make sure we really get it for our next song,” he promised impishly, and Riku’s head shot up, eyes blazing as countless warnings and threats boiled within the aqua depths. You smiled, clueless, and tilted your head to the side.

“What?” you asked, and Tidus grinned at you as the next few lyrics formed in his mind.

“Hey (Name), don’t you think Riku’d be a good dancer?”


	3. I Bet that You Look Good on the Dance Floor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is WAY longer than I've ever written before for a chapter, so enjoy, ya hear???
> 
> Link to song: http://youtube.com/watch?v=c7dt1li5SyY
> 
> _lyrics_

You blinked. “Do I…what?”

“Do you think he’d be a good dancer?” Tidus persisted. “You know…would he look good on the dance floor?” You tilted your head to the side, glancing past the blond singer to scrutinize the bassist behind him. Riku met your gaze evenly for a while (a huge feat for him) before turning back to his bass with a scoff, softly improvising a new melody. He was interrupted as Sora shoved a pen in front of his face (nearly sticking it up his nose in the process) and a piece of manuscript paper.

Taking the proffered utensils, Riku began to play the melody once more, scribbling down the notes as he did so. During this tiny interlude, you had been looking at him, eyes roving over the subtle muscle that was hidden beneath smooth, soft skin, silver hair that was now being pulled into a sloppy ponytail. Perhaps the hairstyle would look feminine on anybody else, but Riku managed to pull it off with a sure, masculine grace that only he possessed.

As your eyes traced the line of his shoulders and his collarbone, Riku could feel your gaze upon his body much like a fiery caress that refused to let him be. He repressed the overwhelming desire to shiver and was torn between being flattered and pleased that you were currently checking him out, or irritated that only your eyes were unashamedly roving over his body, and that his hands weren’t doing some exploring of their own. He swallowed thickly.

There he went again…

You shrugged. Tearing your gaze from the faint outline of the crease of his back where his spine was, you turned to meet eager blue-green eyes. “I guess he would be,” you admitted, a small part of your mind commenting that not only would he be wonderful on the dance floor, but also…oh…maybe on a desk, in bed… You giggled nervously and stood, setting the lawn chair back near the entrance of the garage. “Well, I’d better go…my parents want to bond today,” you said, making a face. “I’ll see you later?” The boys mumbled a goodbye, though Riku was still poring over the manuscript paper before him.

And so Roxas threw his drumstick and hit the silver-haired teen neatly on the back of his head, the stick spinning through the air once more before dropping to the ground. Shooting a ‘look’ over his shoulder, Riku turned calm, almost cold eyes back to meet yours.

"S’laters,” he said coolly, and turned back to his music. You gave a half-wave and turned, walking back to your house. The minute you were gone, Tidus resisted the very strong urge to beat Riku repeatedly over the head with his guitar.

“‘S’laters’?” the singer said disbelievingly, eyebrows knitting as he glared. “‘S’laters’! We set things up for you and all you’ve got to say is ‘S’laters’? You’ve got to be KIDDING me!” Tidus groaned, slamming a palm to his forehead. “You’re supposed to be the ‘Sex God’, supreme wooer of women, and the tall, silver and handsome that all girls love! You’re supposed to use your natural charm and devilish smile and WOO fair maiden, or at least not act like a goddamn robot!”

“I’m not a robot,” Riku said shortly, throwing the drumstick back at Roxas a bit more violently than necessary.

“Try to put a hole in my head, why don’t you?” Roxas grumbled, standing to retrieve the object where it had bounced off the garage wall.

“SAYS YOU!” Tidus yelled, pointing an accusing finger at his friend. “How do I know you’re telling the truth, Riku I-have-a-silver-tongue-and-I’m-so-cool-I-can-weasel-my-way-out-of-any-situation, ‘cause for all I know you could be a lying bas–”

“Okay,” Sora interrupted with a nervous smile, “I think Tidus was right, Ri. You could’ve said something else…or something more…”

“Something along the lines of ‘Oh my god, I think you’re the sexiest girl alive I’ve ever seen and I love you and let’s make babies’ would’ve worked,” Tidus interjected. A drumstick smacked the back of his head. “OW! Do you practice this shit or something?” the blitzballer asked, wincing as he tossed the stick back to Roxas.

“Stop with the trashy novel narration,” Roxas said evenly, smirking at the grudgingly thankful look on Riku’s face for (temporarily) stopping Tidus. “But they’ve got a point. You were acting like less of a slut than usual.” Riku groaned and sat down heavily on an amp.

“Why do you all want to set me up with her?” Riku asked helplessly, combing a hand through his hair.

“So I can sabotage you, Riku,” Tidus assured him. “This has nothing to do with your potential future happiness. I’m doing this out of the selfishness of my heart so I can raise my chances of smashing.” Riku stared at him.

“Man…I can’t even tell if you’re joking or not.”

~*~

“Why do I have to do this?” Sora complained, frowning as his bright blue eyes grew big, round, and watery. Tidus cringed and fought down the instinctual pity that arose whenever someone was subjected to Sora’s ’sad face’.

“Will you stop looking at me like a kicked puppy?” Tidus asked desperately, having to look away after a while. He felt slightly embarrassed as he noticed the glares half the girls in their class were sending him...and therefore made the fatal mistake of looking back. Sora’s bottom lip was quivering and he had his hands clasped under his chin, eyes taking up about half his face by now. If it wasn’t so weirdly effective, Tidus would’ve punched him in the face. Looking away, he sighed and pressed a few fingers to his forehead. “Sorry man, but you’ve got to do it.” Sora, having dropped the attack, flailed and spluttered, nearly giving his friend a black eye.

“B-b-but WHY?” he cried out, and the blond smiled, ruffling Sora’s hair.

“Without us, Riku is doomed to die a revirginized crusty old man,” Tidus declared cheerily, ignoring the sudden gleam that entered the eyes of all females within a ten-meter radius. Riku, halfway across the school, sneezed violently and shivered. He glanced around the room warily, feeling goose bumps erupt all over his arms. He had a bad feeling…

“Yeah, but–”

“Come on, Sora! You’re their last hope. Don’t be a little bitch and just do it,” Tidus said with a grin. Sora sighed and grasped at his last strand of hope.

“What if she doesn’t tell me anything?” The blond blitzballer shrugged.

“Look at her like a kicked puppy.” Sora slammed his head into his desk and groaned in defeat. If he had known his secret weapon was going to be exploited in this way, he wouldn’t have unleashed it in the first place. “She’s here,” Tidus said as you stepped into the classroom, sliding the door shut behind you. Sora just grunted and turned his face away from Tidus as he sulked. Tidus, loving friend that he was, decided to…er…‘help’ the brunet and did so by kicking him off his chair.

“Are you alright, Sora?” you asked, stifling a laugh as Sora rubbed his lower back, glaring at Tidus.

“I’m fine,” he sighed and you smiled at him, moving past him to your own seat. Sora went to sit down but a pair of feet was in his way, Tidus’s long legs stretched across the gap between his desk and Sora’s as he shook his head, smirking at the scandalized expression on the other boy’s face. When Tidus arched an eyebrow, Sora sighed, shoulders wilting as the defiant look slid off his features. He trudged over to your desk like a doomed man walking to the gallows. Tidus barely managed to stifle a laugh. It wasn’t even that bad a mission…

“So…(Name),” the brunet said, catching your attention. He placed both hands on your desk once he had it and leaned in, whispering in a conspiratorial manner. “What do you think of Riku?” You blinked and looked at him, caught off guard.

“What do you mean?” you asked, brow furrowing. Sora panicked for a moment, struggling to find an explanation other than, “Tidus wants to know because he thinks the two of you should hook up?”

“Well…what do you think of Riku…as…as…” Sora glanced helplessly out of the corner of his eye where Tidus was sitting, doing a poor job of pretending not to eavesdrop as he chatted to a girl at the desk beside yours. Tidus grinned, the action nearly splitting his face in two and Sora swallowed nervously. “As…a…person.” Tidus nearly fell to the floor. You gave a soft ‘hm’ and paused, playing with a silver ring on your finger.

“Well…” you began slowly. “I…can’t really say. I’ve only been here for a little over two weeks now, and you’ve all been really nice, but I don’t really…know you all that well.” You finished with a smile, and Sora grinned back.

“I guess two and a half weeks isn’t that long a time,” he agreed, torn between being relieved that he wasn’t being subjected to this conversation any longer, and curious (though he would never admit it) to find out what your opinion of their group was at the moment. Sora felt a sharp kick to his leg and he bit back a yelp, even as his knees buckled for a moment before he slammed his hands back down on your desk, effectively drawing your attention back to him.

“Sora?” you asked, sending the brunet a concerned look. He gave you a shaky grin and swallowed the pained yelp that was crawling its way up his throat. His hands were stinging like hell!

“First impression? Of Riku, that is?” Sora managed to say as he mentally swore the most painful, humiliating and evil revenge he could possibly think of upon Tidus for putting him through this and then abusing him. You paused, looking thoughtfully at the graffiti covered surface of your desk, eyes nearly burning a hole through it.

“He’s…a nice guy I suppose,” you started, drawing out your words as you thought. “He seems kind of…cold though. A bit distant? I have no clue if he likes me. He might be a little standoffish,” Sora stared at you, and you grinned, “Okay…he might be VERY standoffish, but he has quite the impact on everybody. He’s…quite literally an explosion.”

“An…explosion?” Sora repeated skeptically, and you laughed.

“Yeah. He’s got that face,” you said with a laugh, pausing as you flushed a little. “And a model-status bod. I’d climb that like a tree.” The words escaped your lips before you realized and your face instantly turned bright red, your eyes widening as you stared pleadingly at Sora. “Holy shit, pretend I didn’t say that.”

Sora opened his mouth to reply, when the teacher suddenly slammed the door open, her head poking just past the frame as she glowered at the class.

“HEY! Just because I’m having a conversation outside does NOT mean that you can leave your seats to go socialize!” There was a mad scramble as students rushed to their appointed desks, papers rustling as everybody frantically searched for their work. Still slightly miffed, the teacher slid the door shut once more, resuming her conversation.

Sora, meanwhile, was furiously erasing away at his paper. Setting down the utensil, he picked up his pencil and tried to finish his work, but his hand spasmed as he recalled your words, drawing another dark gray line across the page. Eye twitching, he snatched up his eraser once more…

This was going to be a long day…he could feel it.

~*~

“She said WHAT?” Tidus hissed, ducking behind his book and warily peeping over the edge. He nearly let out a sigh of relief when the librarian didn’t look his way, but quickly swallowed the air back down into his…er…stomach. He didn’t want to get another reprimand from the keeper of the books… How does one refrain from breathing, anyways? Let alone breathing LOUDLY? His lungs struggled under pressure, all right? AND the fact that Sora had stuck two pencils up his nose, although entirely accidental, had not helped his poor, asthmatic lungs. That is, if his lungs actually were poor and asthmatic.

“Don’t make me say it again,” Sora whined, letting his head fall (gently) to the table.

“She said he was an explosion? Riku? First time I’ve ever heard him being described like that,” Tidus mused. Sora bit back a wail.

“And you’re completely disregarding the fact that she unashamedly molested his private bits with her eyes?” Sora hissed, face flushing. 

“Sora,” Tidus said in a chiding tone. “Sora, Sora, Sora. If you’d been abandoned by all the rest of your male friends and had been subjected to the whining, clinging, squealing, pouting terror that is Riku’s fanclub, you would’ve learnt that there are worse things a girl can do without touching our dearest friend who has a stick shoved up his–OW!” Tidus quickly clapped a hand over his mouth, gaze darting fearfully over to the librarian.

“You better not be talking about me,” Roxas whispered dryly, smirking at Tidus’ offended look. He lowered his raised fist, bright blue eyes flickered over to his twin. He arched an eyebrow. “I don’t think that particular shade of green is entirely healthy,” the blond boy noted, and Tidus turned and started. Who knew the topic of fangirls got Sora so nauseous? The blitzball player shrugged and diverted his attention to antagonizing his newest victim.

“Roxas. Roxie. OW.” Tidus glanced furtively over his shoulder once more…the librarian was still occupied. He mentally sighed in relief, and rubbed the sore spot on his head. “What is it with you and hurting me? Do you get off on doing things like that or something? OW!” Roxas lowered his fist for the third time.

“If you weren’t such an idiot, I wouldn’t have to hit you,” Roxas answered, donning a sickeningly sweet smile that would have looked more at home on Sora’s face. “And why are you making Sora do recon? He sucks at it.”

“Everybody’s got to contribute,” Tidus grumbled, pouting as he leaned forward onto his forearms. “And how did you find out about Sora’s mission anyway?” Roxas just popped the tab of a Sprite, taking a leisurely sip.

“Not telling,” he replied, stowing the drink down where the librarian wouldn’t be able to see it. He glanced at Sora again. “You need a garbage can or something? ‘Cause I’d rather you projectile into that instead of Tidus’s face. On second thought…”

“Hey!” Tidus objected, a frown marring his normally cheerful face.

“I’m okay…” Sora whispered weakly, running clammy hands through his unruly brown hair. “Let’s just write the song, alright?” He pulled the notebook over in front of him, before suddenly realizing something. “Roxas! When did you get here?” he asked, mouth hanging open in shock. Roxas snorted, sneaking another drink of Sprite.

“I’ve been here,” the blond replied, idly swirling the carbonated liquid around in its can. 

“Right, so because of certain people insisting that we have to write a new song…we’re here. Where the wifi’s shitty and the girls aren’t pretty,” Sora declared. The two other boys blinked at the brunet. “…what?” Sora asked defensively.

“…okay. So what’ve we got?” Roxas asked. Tidus quickly gave him the rundown, drawing out the bit about you checking Riku out to the point where Sora’s entire face was cherry red, except for the very tip of his nose, which remained a stubborn light pink. The blush quickly faded as the boys continued to talk, debating lyrics and predicting the reaction…

And Riku felt another ominous shiver go down his spine. And it had nothing to do with Kairi giving him sticky eyes across the room.

…well…maybe a little…

~*~   
“You had another writing session without me,” Riku deadpanned. Tidus grinned.

“Well…we figure you’d want to spend some more time primping and pimping at the mall with your ‘ladeez’…OW. OW OW OW.” Tidus clutched his head. “You know, I could’ve been a rocket scientist if you assholes didn’t hit my head so much,” Tidus yelled, turning to deliver an angry kick at the drumstick behind him.

Riku sighed, picking up his bass. “Let’s just play,” he sighed, realizing that protesting the practice of this song would only end in tears. Tidus’s. Most likely as he lay on the ground curled in pain and nursing the bruises to his head that had destroyed the few brain cells he had left.

“Finally…” Sora breathed, idly running through his own part. Without further ado, the boys dove into the music, the next hour spent adjusting, adding improvements and abusing Tidus. The events of the practice session followed a continuous pattern, the raucous laughter and snide remarks flying thickly through the air as the morning progressed, each of the four teenage boys far too chipper to have gotten up at the crack of dawn (ten o’ clock) Saturday morning.

“Let’s try it then?” Tidus drawled, nursing the most recent bruise. Riku’s eyes narrowed.

“This isn’t another song where you take the my life and twist them into song lyrics while subtly humiliating me in front of one of my relatively new neighbours?” the silver hair teen asked, casually brushing his bangs out of his eyes.

“No!” Tidus assured him. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch Ri…just because of last— OW. What was it THIS time?”

“Don’t be so vulgar,” Roxas said sternly, easily catching the wayward drumstick aimed at his head. “Man…your aim sucks.”

“Yeah, well I don’t sit around all day practicing,” Tidus countered, rubbing the new bruise. He was absolutely certain that Riku and Roxas had freakish aim or something; he had a bruise on a bruise on a bruise by now.

“Um…hi?” You waved awkwardly from where you were standing in the garage door, as Tidus mentally cheered.

‘Operation “Lure (Name) out here by being exceedingly loud while extremely attractive at the same time” is a go!’

“Ha…sorry…were we being too loud?” Sora asked sheepishly, and you gave them a slightly forced half-smile.

“My parents aren’t happy, but they pretty much never are…” You trailed off as your older brother seemingly appeared out of nowhere, his face set in its usual scowl.

“You done telling them yet?” he asked, ignoring the awkward half wave Sora was giving him. You pursed your lips, matching him glare for glare.

“You done being an asshole yet? You could be a decent human being and say ‘hi’,” you retorted. Tidus coughed uncomfortably, wondering if maybe his plan was the worst thing he’d ever thought of. But as the blond boy glanced at Riku with his peripheral vision and noted the way his face, eyes, and body posture had changed the minute you had appeared, he knew one thing for sure: the boy had it bad.

Sora found himself mentally scarred as he noticed the look on Tidus’s face that only spelled trouble, and he quickly tried to distract you lest you notice that Tidus was staring at you without blinking, his eyes either consciously or unconsciously zeroed in on your chest. 

“Um! Uh…we were playing the song, right guys?” the brunet asked desperately, voice rising three octaves as he neared the end of his question. “S-so…let’s, er, play?” Tidus detached his overly attentive gaze from your body and turned to pluck a few notes on his guitar as he simultaneously subtly rubbed the last remnants of drool from his chin.

“Aw…is ickle So-wa too impatient to wait for the big kids to finish their talk?” the blitzballer teased, smirk sliding off his face as Roxas spoke.

“I think ickle So-wa was getting bored waiting for you to finishing mind-raping (Name) or whatever the hell you were doing to her a couple minutes ago,” the drummer muttered laughingly, low enough that you and Hiroshi couldn’t hear. Tidus shot him a dirty look before spinning on his heel and giving you and your brother an over-dramatized bow. “Lady and over-protective brother, I give you the song ‘I Bet that You Look Good on the Dance Floor’, the song dedicated entirely to our lovely supporter,” he smiled and inclined his head in your direction, “and our frigid little bastard of a bassist who doesn’t have the guts to say a proper goodbye,” Tidus finished cheerfully.

“And this ‘frigid little bastid of a bassist’ is going to put the overly self-assured lead singer six feet under. I hope you like sand, Tidus, ‘cause that’s what’s on the menu for dinner,” Riku grumbled darkly, fingers spasming as he tried not to lunge across the measly two meters separating him and his ‘friend’ and strangle the neck of said ‘friend’. Tidus wrinkled his nose in disgust, but still shuffled closer to Sora, adding a half a meter to the space keeping him from the fury of his homicidal friend. 

“Man…morbid much? Anyway…we’ve wasted enough time! C’mon, gents, we’ve got an audience here…let’s make an effort to be a bit more professional,” Tidus said cheerily, praying that by the time you and Hiroshi had left and his life was at stake once more a tranquilizer gun would have magically dropped from the sky right into his open arms. But until then, he figured he might as well finish with his final task during the few hours of life and sunlight he had left.

Tidus cleared his throat and nodded at his friends before diving straight into the melody, strumming a few quick chords before breaking off into an riff that made you smile as you tapped your foot along softly to the beat. Hiroshi frowned and crossed his arms, the reluctance to stay rolling off of him in waves. 

Tidus, oblivious to the second impending doom looming above his head started to sing, eyes glancing at Riku as the impassive bassist got a little bit into the music, freeing himself up a bit more in your presence. Admittedly it was still a lot more reserved than how the silver-haired boy would normally act while performing/practicing, but the singer supposed it was a start…and a step forward was better than one backwards. And almost regrettably…almost, but not quite…Tidus let the lyrics flow.

“ _Stop making the eyes at me and I’ll stop making the eyes at you,_ ” Riku’s head shot up. Tidus shivered. Oh man…make that tranquilizer gun an UZI. He’d be royally screwed without it. “ _What it is that surprises me, is that I don’t really want you to when your shoulders are frozen…_ ” (Roxas belted out, _Cold as the night,_ ) “ _Oh but you’re an explosion (You’re dynamite,). Your name isn’t Rio, but I don’t care for sand and lighting the fuse might result in a bang, ba-ba bang go!_ ”

You blinked. How on earth did Tidus hear about your little explosion comment? Your eyes snapped to Sora, bright baby blues meeting your own before an embarrassed flush spreading across the guitarist’s nose made him look sheepishly away before flicking his eyes back, expression sorry. You flushed. Oh…so then Tidus knew about your accidental ocular gropage… You glanced at Roxas, who smirked. …and Roxas too, apparently. Oh no. Then did Riku…? You turned to look at the bassist, cheeks flushing as you saw the casual way his silver hair draped itself across his shoulders, hips tilted forward ever so slightly as he played. His fingers were long and elegant, gently plucking the strings even as the rich, warm bass guitar intertwined beautifully with the guitars and drums.

Aqua eyes met your own, and you felt a sort of panic overtake you as you quickly looked away. Chancing a look in Hiro’s direction you saw the blatant displeasure written all over his face and you could practically see him adding all four boys to his shitlist. 

“ _I bet that you look good on the dance floor, I don’t know if you’re looking for romance or what, I don’t know what you’re looking for._ ” Insert pointed look at Riku. The bassist just flipped his bangs from his eyes and arched an eyebrow at Tidus, lips curved into a slight frown as he continued to play. Tidus shrugged and smirked, subtly tilting his head in your direction and then at Riku before waggling his eyebrows. “ _Well I bet that you look good on the dance floor dancing to electro-pop like a robot from 1984, from 1984!_ ” There was a brief interlude as Tidus…dear, lovable Tidus danced towards his microphone and prayed to whatever higher power there was up above that he wouldn’t die today. He’d like to live a couple more decades, procreate, and fill the world with carbon copies of himself. He swallowed nervously, and continued to sing.

“ _I wish you’d stop ignoring me, because you’re sending me to despair. Without a sound yeah you’re calling me, and I don’t think it’s very fair but your shoulders are frozen…(Cold as the night,) Oh but you’re an explosion (You’re dynamite,). Your name isn’t Rio, but I don’t care for sand and lighting the fuse might result in a bang, ba-ba bang go!_

“ _I bet that you look good on the dance floor I don’t know if you’re looking for romance or what I don’t know what you’re looking for. Well I bet that you look good on the dance floor dancing to electro-pop like a robot from 1984, from 1984! Oh there ain’t no love…no Montagues or Capulets,_ ” Tidus said, hazarding a look in Hiroshi’s direction and hoping that the black-haired boy would realize that unless he wanted dear little baby sister to stab herself in the stomach with a dagger like Juliet, he better stay out of the path of true love! Or at least lust.

“ _We’re just banging tunes and DJ sets and dirty dance floors and dreams of naughtiness,_ ” Tidus sang loudly, noticing the slight flush staining Riku’s cheeks that had absolutely NOTHING to do with over-exerting himself while playing, and the blitzball player grinned triumphantly. He just knew his friend was remembering that fateful day not so long ago (day 16 if he remembered right) when you had unashamedly checked Riku out to see if he was fit for the dance floor and had left the older boy moody and touchy for the rest of the day, looking at your window until he caught himself staring and finally tore his eyes away, and did his mind also have a fetish for run-on sentences as well as love for over-romanticized ideas?

“ _Well I bet that you look good on the dance floor I don’t know if you’re looking for romance or what I don’t know what you’re looking for! I said I bet that you look good on the dance floor dancing to electro-pop like a robot from 1984, from 1984!_ ” And with that final note, that final chord the song ended and Sora collapsed onto an amp, Roxas let his weary arms drop as he sagged into his chair, and Riku fiddled with his bass as Tidus bounded over to where you stood.

“Well?” he demanded, eyes gleaming with something you couldn’t place. “Did you like it? Did you get into it?”

“Yes!” you exclaimed, smiling widely, if not a bit tensely as you fought to keep your eyes from sliding over to where Riku was. “I thought it was amazing,” you said truthfully, the smile on your face shrinking as you let it come naturally and genuinely. You turned to look at each of the band members as you spoke, eyes meeting with Riku’s for a split second longer than what would be deemed casual before he averted his gaze. And with that one action, you understood what Tidus had been talking about when he sang:

_I wish you’d stop ignoring me, because you’re sending me to despair. Without a sound yeah you’re calling me, and I don’t think it’s very fair._

As you drifted about in your thoughts while holding a conversation with Sora, Roxas occasionally interjecting and Sora continuously dragging Riku in on the exchange, Hiroshi sidled over to where Tidus was standing, an uncharacteristically calm look on his face.

 

“What was that song about?” he asked lowly, and Tidus jumped.

“What? It’s just a song, man. That’s it.” He swallowed nervously, his eyes darting away from Hiro’s. 

Hiroshi blinked. Frowned. “I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but I don’t like you and I don’t trust you. And I don’t know what you’re up to, but leave her out of it.” 

“She can decide who she wants to be friends with,” Tidus shot back, a frown forming on his face. Hiro’s eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to speak, when your mother popped her head out the front door and called his name. Gritting his teeth, he slowly turned and walked away, casting one last furious glare over his shoulder before he disappeared inside.

Now, if this had been an other-worldly experience, or a journey from his physical body onto the spiritual plane, or anything extremely surreal…hell, even a dream (a BAD dream), Riku would have felt the metaphorical oncoming storm rapidly rolling towards him.

But this was not an other-worldly experience, a journey from his physical body onto the spiritual plane, anything surreal, or a really bad dream. Instead he could only watch the tense exchange a few feet away from him, praying to god that Tidus wasn’t dragging his name into whatever he was hashing out with Hiro. When the older boy reluctantly walked away, Riku could almost believe that maybe, just MAYBE, everything would be alright, and not half as crazy as he was sure it would be.

And, of course, this is the bit where Fate yawned, rolled out of bed, and promptly decided to fuck him over.


	4. Brianstorm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the fast updates until I'm caught up and then it's like one every five years...
> 
> Song found here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=30w8DyEJ__0  
>   
> 

“Would the sophomore and senior classes on the second floor please make their way down to the gym? Senior classes to the gym.” The PA clicked off with the faint sound of static and with a sigh you stood and meandered over to the door where Sora and Tidus were waiting for you. The three of you dutifully trooped down the hallway with your fellow classmates and the others in your grade, snagging Roxas’s arm as you passed and effectively snatching him away from a rather eager looking girl.

“Where the fuck is Riku,” Sora mumbled, standing up on his tiptoes and scanning the crowd as the mass of students shuffled through the entrance to the cafeteria.

“Ah…he’ll show up,” Tidus yawned, stretching and nearly hitting the person behind him in the process. “I don’t know where he is, but he’s probs running away from Kairi and he’ll definitely come find us–”

“Sorry…Kairi cornered me,” Riku said, suddenly appearing behind the blond blitzballer, who promptly threw up his arms in shock.

“I’m psychic,” the blond whispered in awe, touching his head in disbelief, a rather proud look on his face before Roxas kicked his leg, hands shoved in his pockets. 

“Can’t have you getting too full of yourself,” Roxas said with a smirk as Tidus looked at him with pain-filled eyes. 

“If my leg snaps and you destroy my chances of being a professional blitzballer and rock star with thousands of groupies I. Will. Kill. You,” Tidus threatened as Riku snorted.

“Thousands of groupies?” the silver haired boy asked, an eyebrow arched as the five of you went to find seats having entered the relatively packed gymnasium.

“Sorry we all haven’t got redheaded she-devils chasing after us,” Tidus quipped, grinning at the sneer Riku gave him.

“Kairi isn’t a she-devil,” Sora protested, frowning at the incredulous looks he was receiving from the other three boys. “She not that bad! Right, (Name)?” You turned and smiled sheepishly at the brunet.

“I’m sure she has her good points,” you supplied lamely before facing forward once more and searching for a row of empty seats. “There’s a couple!” You led the way to the nearly empty row, slipping into the aisle and smiling down at the only occupant. “Are these seats taken?” 

Naminé shrugged and just smiled sweetly. “Go right ahead…I think Kairi was supposed to sit here but…” You caught sight of said girl sitting with a group of senior boys and you laughed knowingly.

“Yeah…anyways, I’m (Name), it’s nice to meet you,” you said, an easy smile on your face. Naminé’s eyes widened imperceptibly as she looked at you, her blue eyes flitting to the cluster of boys a little way away from you.

“Wait, **you’re** —” Naminé began, but you just waved her off.

“—the transfer student. That’s me,” you swiftly interrupted. “Hope you haven’t heard any bad things about me,” you joked, your smile faltering when you saw her furrowing her brow. “You okay?”

“(Name)! There you are!” Sora called, walking quickly to where you were standing. “A crowd got in front of us so…” He trailed off once he noticed whom you were talking to, and he forced a smile onto his face. “Naminé! Hi!” To you, he whispered, “Come on…let’s find other seats.” 

You gave him a puzzled look. “What’s wrong with right here?”

“C’mon…just trust me, okay? Quick, before Roxas gets here,” the brunet mumbled and grabbed your elbow, turning to drag you away…but your efforts were futile for lo and behold, who should be standing behind the two of you? Roxas. The blond’s normally sarcastic smirk was gone, his eyes staring unwaveringly at the petite blonde girl before you.

“Roxas,” she said with a sweet smile. “Hi.”

“Don’t even,” he hissed in reply, glaring as a sneer curled his upper lip. You arched an eyebrow at his sudden change in demeanor, but he just turned away, intent on leaving the area only to be stopped by the sight of the sea of faces that had replaced the previously relatively empty area. Muttering a few choice obscenities under his breath, Roxas flopped into his seat, slouching down with his hands shoved in his pockets as he glowered at the stage. You cast an inquiring look at Sora — who replied with an, “It’s a long story” — as the lights dimmed.

“Greetings, sophomore and senior students of Destiny High!” the principal exclaimed enthusiastically, spreading his arms wide as he beamed at the teens before him. “For those of you who have not heard of me, I am Mr. Chase, the principal of this fine, fine institution of education!” he proclaimed with a flourish, hands placed dramatically in the air as he waited for applause. You blinked at the flamboyant man, leaning over to talk to Sora.

“Is he always like that?”

“Oh yeah, buddy.”

“Ah…” You sighed, and drifted off as Mr. Chase droned on and on, being entirely too melodramatic for the students of Destiny High, though everybody’s interest was piqued nearing the end of the assembly.

“And to kick off our fabulous school year, there will be a semi-formal dance hosted two days from now, on Wednesday! The committee responsible for organizing the event has informed me that tickets will be available right until the start of the dance, which is 7:00, for $3 each. And now, I wish all of you a wonderful start to the new school year!” With a bow, Mr. Chase left the stage as you blinked.

“Seriously? A dance?” you asked uncertainly, and Sora laughed.

“Welcome to Destiny Islands,” the brunet replied. “We have one high school, one bar, and a fuckton of dances. It’s not that bad, though.” You grinned awkwardly.

“I’ll take your word for it…”

“Are you going to the dance, Roxas?” You glanced over to the side where Naminé was sitting, that same, gentle smile on her face as she looked at Roxas. The blond boy merely scoffed, lips pursing as he glared before standing forcefully, nearly knocking his chair backwards before storming off to the gym doors. Naminé frowned, her eyebrows knitting together as Sora gave her a strained smile.

“Maybe you should just leave him alone for a bit?” he advised, his voice tight. Naminé’s frown deepened.

“I’ve let him be,” she replied, her voice filled with fury. “And he refuses to move on. Talk about not letting things go.” She took in a deep breath, gave you a quick, unfeeling smile and walked off to where Kairi was standing. Sora stuck his tongue out at her back before ushering you from the row to where Riku and Tidus were standing with Roxas, the three of them talking lowly, but furiously. As you and Sora moved closer, it soon became apparent what the argument was all about. Upon noticing the two of you approaching, Roxas caught your gaze, a hard look on his face as he frowned.

“We’re not going to the dance,” he announced loudly and firmly, his voice threatening either you or his twin to say otherwise. Sora’s eyes just widened as you started at the sudden decision, eyes flicking over to the other two boys to gauge their reactions; Riku just scoffed and crossed his arms, looking in another direction and causing a girl to swoon. Tidus started to whine.

“We ARE going,” he insisted, looking like he was just short of stomping his foot on the ground and pouting, hands clenched into fists as he threw a temper tantrum. “We have to scope out who’s gotten hotter over the summer and other types of bullshit I don’t really care about!” Roxas turned his icy glare onto his friend, but Riku beat him to the punch. Literally.

“You’re an ass,” the older boy snorted. Tidus looked up, hands slipping from his injured head as he gave a cattish grin, and Riku could practically HEAR him saying,

“At least I can look (Name) in the eyes without turning into a giant pussy.” Riku flushed slightly, an angry pink (‘Isn’t that an oxymoron?’ Sora mused) tint covering his cheeks as he promptly thumped his fist on Tidus’s head again.

“Shut up,” he grumbled, and Tidus’s smirk grew wider as he massaged at the tender part of his skull.

“Didn’t say anything, and if you want me to keep quiet you’ll go,” Tidus said, a grin beaming off his face.

“Shut up,” Roxas said gruffly, still trying to sound irritated, but failing miserably as he listened to his hyperactive friend. “I’m still not going.”

“Is this because of Naminé?” All eyes focused on the brunet as he stared Roxas down.

“This has nothing to do with her–”

“Then there’s no issue with going, right?” Sora insisted, blue eyes compelling his twin to agree. Roxas’ eyes flashed.

“It’s not that–”

“Right?” Sora said, dragging out the ‘i’ as he continued to stare, unblinking, at his nearly exact mirror image. Roxas mumbled something that could have been assent, but to disperse any confusion as to what exactly he had said, he jerked his head in a nod. Sora smiled, satisfied. “And same with you, right Ri?” Sora asked sweetly, a cute smile on his lips. Riku looked away for a brief moment, a resigned expression on his face as he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“Yeah…why not,” the silver haired boy said, sounding almost exasperated. You smirked as the two blonds and brunet began to walk away, discussing lunch as you and Riku lagged behind. You laughed softly, and the bassist turned to give you an inquiring glance as, with a start, he realized that the two of you were alone for the first time.

“What is it?” he asked, voice hushed and slightly edgy. He cleared his throat as you shot him an amused look.

“He’s got you whipped, hasn’t he? Sora?” Riku chuckled, the low sound reverberating through the front hall as the two of you ambled almost lazily through the hallways.

“You could say that,” Riku admitted, a rare, relaxed look entering his eyes as he gave you a small grin. “I’ve known him since we were babies…and he’s been bossing me around for as long as I can remember. The only one who can sometimes resist his…his…” 

“Cuteness?” you supplied, noting Riku’s reluctance to classify his best friend as cute.

“You could say that,” Riku agreed, arching an eyebrow at you. “But yeah…the only one who can resist it is Roxas.”

“And so Sora just stares him down until he gives in,” you concluded, smiling.

“That’s about right.” The two of you grinned at each other, the relaxed atmosphere comfortable. Then something snapped back in place in Riku’s eyes and he turned suddenly, continuing walking as if he hadn’t just been standing stock-still in the middle of the hallway with you. Awkwardly rubbing the back of his head, he continued to try to act casual. “We better catch up with the others.”

“Sure,” you murmured, following him as you bit your lip in thought. Something had transpired a few moments ago and you weren’t entirely sure what it was, but you let a soft smile slip onto your face. It looked like you had made some progress – no matter how small – at cracking that impartial mask that Riku always wore.

You both grabbed your lunches from your lockers, Riku arriving at yours because you were having trouble with your lock. After a few more attempts you finally managed to open it, and stood on the raised metal bottom so you could look directly at the contents you had cached atop the only shelf. Snatching your lunch from the back of the locker, you closed it and snapped your lock shut, noticing the amused expression on Riku’s face.

“What?” you asked defensively. Admittedly, you could have easily retrieved your lunch without having to get a boost, but the last time you had tried, you’d managed to cut your finger on some obscure item.

“Nothing,” Riku answered quickly, though the slight tilt of his lips revealed his true thoughts. You sighed and didn’t bother to pursue the subject, a heavy silence falling over the two of you as you made your way to the benches outside at the back of the school where the other three boys were sitting.

“Hey, hey…finally felt like joining us, did you?” Tidus catcalled, eyebrows waggling as he smirked. Riku strolled over and swung a hand at the side of Tidus’ head, but the blitzballer dodged, a triumphant grin on his face before he accidentally smacked his head on the edge of the table and let out a yelp, quickly sitting back up. He looked up at Riku, a pained and slightly fearful look in his eyes. “You’re not going to hit me?” he asked hesitantly, and Riku arched an eyebrow, raising his hand again.

“You want me to?” Tidus cowered in his seat as Riku smirked, moving to sit beside him. You sat on the opposite side, sandwiching Sora between you and Roxas. 

“Mind if I sit here?” The five of you looked behind Riku, different expressions occupying each person’s face. Roxas looked downright murderous, eyes narrowed into slits as he almost squeezed the life out of his sandwich. Sora’s eyes widened as he hesitated, looking unsurely at the rest of the group as Riku snorted, turned back to his lunch after shooting a warning look at Sora. Tidus gaped and you looked at Kairi, a blank expression on your face as you tried to understand why on Earth she was willingly within five feet of you. Without waiting for a response, she gracefully sat down, sweeping her skirt beneath her with a practiced motion. The initial shock wore off as Kairi beamed. “So how is every–”

“Why are you sitting here?” Roxas spat out, abandoning the mangled remains of his lunch. “Weren’t you sitting with Seifer and his brainless lackeys? Or did you already suck them dry?” Kairi bristled.

“What’s that supposed to mean? I can’t catch up with my friends?”

He sneered, arms crossed as he leaned back. “I don’t see any of them here.”

Kairi took in a quick breath and struggled with herself a moment before slowly exhaling. “Look…Roxas. I’m sorry about what happen with Naminé, but–”

“Don’t waste my time,” the drummer snarled, his frown twisting his Cupid bow lips. “And don’t waste Sora’s either,” he finished, jerking a head in his twin’s direction to emphasize his point. Kairi gave a haughty sniff and turned away from the blond, her eyes latching onto your lunch.

“Do you even know how many calories are in that?” she asked condescendingly, eyeing your meal with obvious distaste. 

“Uh…no?” you answered awkwardly, feeling the urge to reach over and slap her silly.

“Well…let’s just say that I don’t think you can afford them,” she said with a simper, a cold smile on her face. You shrugged and lifted up another forkful of your heavenly pasta.

“Don’t care,” you declared before shoving the food into your mouth. Riku snickered, Tidus shared a smirk with Roxas, and Sora looked torn between cheering you on and apologizing profusely to Kairi.

“Ignoring the troglodyte,” Kairi said loudly, frowning in your direction before she smiled cutely. “As you all know there’s going to be a dance in two days, and as social chair of Destiny Islands Collegiate and Vocational Institute, it’s my duty to urge each and every one of you to attend.” The social chair of Destiny Islands Collegiate and Vocational Institute whipped out a large stack of tickets, and shot the table a dazzling smile, before turning and latching eyes with Riku, batting her eyelashes and giving him a glowing look. “And of course, it’s only fun if you go with someone else…”

“Sure,” the older boy agreed, ignoring the way Kairi’s face lit up. “Tidus. Roxas. Sora. Feel like going to the dance this Wednesday?” The other three boys laughed and agreed, fishing for money before taking their tickets.

“I meant with…you know, a girl,” Kairi murmured sweetly, leaning closer to the Sex God of D.I.C.V.I. Without a glance, Riku plucked another ticket from Kairi’s hands and deposited the appropriate amount of $6 before her, and extended a hand to where you were sitting, still munching happily on your food.

“Want to go to the dance?” he asked coolly, smirk firmly in place. You paused, blinking at the slip of paper, fork still between your lips. From the corner of your eye you could make out Kairi’s scandalized expression, and if the gentle look in Riku’s eyes wasn’t enough to help you decide the positively furious look in Kairi’s was. You gave him a dazzling grin in return, batting your eyelashes furiously as you let out an uncharacteristically high-pitched giggle.

“I’d love to,” you simpered, the inane giggles still spilling from your mouth until you safely stowed the ticket away at which point you ceased the creepy laughter and pulled on a serious face as you looked back at Riku. “Seven?” His smirk widened.

“Seven.” Kairi looked like she was about to explode, but to her credit she managed to smile instead of lunging across the table and slamming your face into your pasta by your hair. You stood and stepped from your seat, gathering your things up as you prepared to toss out your trash.

“That’s great, guys! Me and Nami are going too. We’re going shopping for dresses after school today at one of the nicer dress stores.” She looked at you. “I’d invite you along but…” Kairi let her eyes linger quite obviously on your outfit. “…I don’t think you’d be interested,” she finished, a fake smile back on her face as she slipped from her seat. “Bye guys, see you Wednesday! And I’ll see you in third period,” she said to Riku, briefly touching his shoulder before flouncing off. Tidus looked pityingly at Riku.

“You know it really doesn’t matter how hot that girl is. She’s annoying as fuck,” he murmured sympathetically, his expression like that of one who has had the displeasure to announce a death. Riku snorted and crumpled his pop can.

~*~

Tuesday went by almost unbearably slowly, Wednesday dragging on even longer until school was let out. You and the four boys ambled home lazily, everybody’s footsteps heavy and slow.

“So…” Tidus said suddenly, drawing attention to himself. “That was a fun class.” He chuckled to himself as Roxas grinned, recalling the final period himself. Sora and Riku were left out of the loop as you grimaced, swatting a hand at the blond blitzballer, who pouted and placed a hand over his now injured shoulder. “Not you too…”

“What happened?” Sora asked curiously, aware that there was no way Riku was going ask with Tidus dangling the story before them like bait. 

“HA! Well…the dance is tonight and a couple of boys got it in their heads that they were going to ask our darling, precious (Name) to go to the dance, unaware that Riku the Sex God got there first,” Tidus said dramatically, pausing once he finished, and he made a face. “That sounds wrong…”

Roxas smirked. “Didn’t help that she could barely manage to say ‘no’.”

“I’m not good at rejecting people, alright?” you interjected. “Even if it is just for a dance…”

“And then what happened?” Riku asked, curious in spite of himself.

“So then she didn’t say anything and it looked like they were about to insist so–”

Roxas cut Tidus off. “So then Tidus lunged across his desk and announced that Riku was going to be taking (Name), and started to laugh really, really loudly. Like maniacally.”

“And then Roxas kicked him off my desk,” you finished, grinning as Tidus gave a teary sigh, rolling up his sleeve to show Sora the bruise where he landed.

“Kicked as in shoved or kicked as in…kicked?” Sora asked, having accidentally poked Tidus’ bruise a bit harder than necessary as the blond danced up and down, lips clenched together to keep his yelps in.

“Kicked as in kicked,” Roxas grinned. “Got him right in the back of the knees.” Riku laughed at that, shaking his head.

“Yeah, well, when you’re all done laughing at my ill-treatment at the hands of my friends, maybe we could move forward? We’ve walked about three meters in two minutes, and I’d kinda like to get home,” Tidus proclaimed loudly, pushing Sora and you forward.

“Fine…” You grinned and started walking again, keeping an easy pace with Sora and Riku as the three of you chatted about nothing in particular. You finally reached your home, waving a goodbye to Riku and the twins before disappearing inside your home.

“You got this, Riku,” Sora said with a smile. When his best friend blinked at him, he sighed in exasperation.

“You asked her out, dingus,” Roxas snorted, crossing his arms. “You bought her a ticket, asked her if she wanted to go to the dance with you, and she said yes.”

“Yeah, but I thought we were doing this as a group–” Riku began, and Sora cut him off.

“You’re a goddamn moron. You asked her out on a date,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“So don’t keep your head up your ass all night,” Roxas added. “And make sure Tidus’s hands don’t go anywhere they shouldn’t.” With that, the twins gave Riku a solemn farewell and began the short walk to their home. Riku was left standing in the driveway, and he glanced at your door before sighing and walking inside.

A **date**?

It was a slightly nervous Riku (though you couldn’t tell…what a pro) that knocked on your door. And it was a shocked Riku (he hid it very well) that stood in the open doorway as Hiro opened the door, almost slamming it into the wall.

“You do anything mean to her, and I will maim you. If you do anything inappropriate to her, I will maim you. I know guys like you and the kind of shit you do that you think you can get away with,” Hiroshi hissed. Tidus, who was standing at the end of the driveway with Sora and Roxas, groaned and smacked a palm to his face. Talk about a cockblock. You finally appeared and sighed, tapping Hiroshi on the shoulder to let Riku go. You grinned at the silver haired boy who gave you a half-smile in return, shooting Hiroshi an odd look.

“Ready?” he offered awkwardly, once Hiroshi made no move to leave. You nodded and stepped outside, breezing past your older brother..

“I’ll see you later, Hiro! Try not to do anything stupid, and don’t wait up,” you called back, greeting the other three boys.

“You look nice,” Sora commented, cheery smile on his face as he rocked back and forth on his heels, hands in his pockets. You smiled at him, complimenting his clothing as well. Sora and Roxas were both smartly dressed, clearly having bowed to some sort of matriarchal whim. But Tidus…poor, poor Tidus! 

It was apparent that he had been thoroughly attacked by someone in his own home whose idea of semi-formal was limited to what small children wore to church. Tidus was wearing a stiff white collared shirt, the sleeves cuffed and a black bowtie choking his neck. He was wearing black slacks and shiny black dress shoes, and he was currently tugging uncomfortably at his collar, as if trying to release the chokehold it had on him.

“Let’s just go, okay? I’ve got to walk back by my house dressed like this before I can get rid of the bowtie, and the longer we stand here the longer I have to feel the blood flow being restricted from my brain,” he insisted, before he finally surfaced from his corner of self-pity and noticed what Riku was wearing. “What the fuck is that?” he just about shrieked, running to catch up with the rest of you.

Riku glanced blankly down at his outfit: white polo and black jeans, with a neat pair of semi-clean Adidas. “Uh…clothes?” Tidus frowned. 

“I can see that, but didn’t you get the notice? It’s semi-formal and you are anything but formal. Maybe the semi bit, but not the formal,” the lead singer stated. Riku shrugged.

“Who cares?”

“ **I** care! Now go back and put something formal on! It’s not fair that I have to suffer the indecency–”

“Indignity,” Roxas corrected.

“–Whatever, of being forced into an outfit a tux jacket short of a penguin suit when you’re wearing what you normally wear!” With an exasperated sigh, Riku reached into his back pocket and pulled out what you had taken to be a striped, silk handkerchief, but turned out to be a folded tie. Deftly knotting it, Riku pulled it over his neck and under his collar, leaving it loose.

“Better?” he asked sarcastically, frowning at Tidus, who looked anything but happy.

“You. Suck,” was all he bit out, storming ahead as fast as his ill-fitting shoes would allow him.

The minute you passed by Tidus’s house the blond boy swiftly unknotted his bow tie and stowed it in his pocket, undoing the first couple buttons of his shirt and untucking it from his pants. After unbuttoning his sleeve cuffs, he rolled them up to his elbow and mussed up his brushed hair.

“Much better,” he sighed in relief, smiling toothily at your entire group. “Let’s go get us some school dance!”

~*~  
The gym was packed, muted lights lazily casting their glow onto the mass of bodies below as the bass throbbed through the building, music almost obscenely loud. The five of you snagged a table, sitting down once Tidus had kicked some poor freshman from his seat to make room. “Right then men…and woman,” he said, leaning in conspiratorially. “We are here today in the unknown region of school dances–”

“Hey guys!” Kairi bubbled, popping up suddenly as Tidus screamed, nearly knocking the table over in his attempt to get away. Kairi frowned at him. “So…enjoying the dance?” Sora blinked.

“We just got here,” he ventured, and the redhead laughed lightly.

“Yeah, well it sure is fun, hm? A lot of people seem to be liking it since they’re dancing and all…” Tidus snickered.

“I bet that you look good on the dance floor,” he choked out to Riku, his laughing fit growing even more pronounced when Riku glared at him as you chuckled.

“So,” Kairi ignored Tidus, pulling up a chair even though Roxas was shooting enough ocular fire at her to turn her into ash. “How’s your older brother lately?” she asked, looking at Sora. He shrugged.

“Cloud’s still at school doing…university stuff. The usual. He might be heading back a couple weeks from now depending,” he answered. You tilted your head to the side.

“I didn’t know you had a brother.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know,” Kairi said with a sickeningly sweet smile.

“And how is yours? Still in jail?” Tidus shot back, frowning at her. Kairi stiffened and flicked some hair over her shoulder.

“He did NOT go to jail, and I think if anybody’s going it’s you–”

“Kairi,” Roxas said suddenly, and you released the breath you didn’t know you were holding. At least the calm(ish), relatively levelheaded blond would be able to diffuse the angry and tense air… “You’re obscenely social, so why don’t you go piss of with a bunch of your little friends and bother some other people for the rest of the night? Get drunk in a Jacuzzi or something…whatever the hell girls like you do.” You sighed and slumped in your seat. Or…he could just pour oil on the fire. Kairi opened her mouth to snap out a retort, but Roxas spoke again, fixing her with ice cold eyes. “Seriously. Leave.” Huffing angrily, Kairi shoved back from the table and stalked off, disappearing between the dancers. Sora groaned tiredly.

“You guys…you didn’t have to be that mean…” Everybody just looked at him. “Okay…fine! Whatever.” The guitarist threw his hands up in the air before resting them on the table as he sighed. 

Tidus patted Roxas on the back. “Okay you’ve filled your quota of being a dick tonight. Take it easy the rest of the dance, bud.” There was a pause as varying looks of disbelief were directed at Tidus, who laughed nervously and pulled at his collar. “Anybody want a drink?” 

Later on Roxas and Tidus had long since disappeared to go play foosball, claiming that they were going to win the competition, and the remaining three of you sat silently at the table as you tapped your foot, Sora lolled his head back and forth in time with the music, and Riku turned down yet another offer to dance. The sound of footsteps reached your ears, and Naminé appeared, face flushed.

“You guys haven’t seen Roxas, have you?” she asked, and you shook your head, lips pressed together. Judging from the show two days ago, it wouldn’t be the best to have those two meet face to face without Sora there to keep his twin calm. Sora glanced at you from the corner of his eyes, smiling sadly.

“Thanks,” he mumbled once she left. You nodded, grinning back at him, and he sighed for about the hundredth time that night. “I should probably tell you what happened, huh? It’s not fair if you’re left out of the loop, and I think Roxas won’t mind. The short version is that they were going out, but when Kairi…er…dumped me, Roxas publicly embarrassed her by calling her…what was it again?”

“A ‘no good using annoying skanky little bitch that spent too much time on her knees to be good at anything else’,” Riku supplied dryly, a smirk on his face. Sora flushed and laughed.

“Yeah…that was it. Anyways, after he called her…that…she went to Naminé and ordered her to break up with Roxas, and Nami did. I don’t think Roxas really ever forgave her–”

“You think?”

“–Because she just did what Kairi said without even trying to protest, and that really cut Roxas up,” Sora finished, and you nodded slowly before sighing. 

“What drama,” you commented, and Sora grinned. The two blonds appeared as if they’d been summoned by the story, showing you their prizes with triumphant grins.

“Free passes to the arcade!” Tidus declared gleefully, displaying them proudly. He plopped down in his seat with a pleased noise, Roxas smiling as he distributed them.

“We should go sometime next week,” he suggested, and you agreed, Sora chiming in with a happy yell as Tidus grinned at Riku.

“And…we got a nice idea for a song while we were there. So I’ve got one question to ask you, Riku Brian Gallagher!” Blue stared fixedly at disinterested aqua. “How painful would my death be if I put your name in our song?” Riku casually, almost calmly raised his hands up into plain view and cracked his knuckles as he balled his hands into fists. Tidus squeaked. “Got it.”

“Did you guys dance at all?” Roxas asked, and you shook your head no. He frowned. “Why not? Stop being a bitch and go with her,” he said, nudging Riku’s arm. Riku glanced at you, and you shook your head quickly.

“I don’t really dance,” you explained and he shrugged, glancing at the clock on the wall.

“This one sucks anyway. We’ve been here for about two hours…ready to go?” Riku asked, standing up without waiting for an answer.

“B-but–” Tidus protested weakly.

Catching sight of Naminé pushing her way through the crowd towards him, Roxas jumped to his feet. “Let’s go,” he agreed as he hightailed after Riku to the door. You and Sora had to literally drag Tidus from his chair and away from the table as he protested, snatches of “not living up to our teenage potential” barely audible above the music. Bodily pushing him out the door, you turned to crack a joke with Sora and felt your heart squeeze when you caught him looking at Kairi as she spoke to someone, her hand squeezing their arm as she smiled demurely. After a few painful seconds he turned away and his eyes met yours. He visibly drooped, not even trying to pretend he hadn’t been caught in the act as he said,

“I fucking hate school dances.”

~*~

“We practiced it, and we think we’ve got it down…ready?” Tidus asked, beaming at you. You smiled and nodded, basking in the balmy evening air. The subsequent two days after the dance had been monotonous and disinteresting, as Tidus was not abused further (it appeared song writing quieted him down) and Sora had stayed ‘mysteriously’ quiet whenever Kairi looked at him to come to her defense. Tidus smirked and Riku fixed him with a glare.

“It’s not like you’ve got anything to complain about Ri,” Sora said in a soothing voice. “We didn’t put your name in at all!”

“Yeah, Ri, it’s called ‘Brianstorm’. There’s tons of Brians out there,” Roxas called from the back of the garage, impatiently waiting for the band to begin playing. Tidus turned away from Riku’s livid expression and counted the band in. The opening was energetic and catchy, Riku and Roxas jumping straight in, Riku’s hands moving quickly as he kept up with the fast-paced beat Roxas was setting. Roxas grinned as Riku reluctantly smirked back at him, the drumsticks flying nearly every which way as the blond immersed himself in the music. Tidus joined, grinning cheekily even as he played, not even glancing down at what his hands were doing. Sora started in soon after, brown hair bobbing with his head as he nodded it up and down, mouth partially open as he concentrated on keeping with the tempo.

The three boys dropped out momentarily as Tidus carried on, a bit of a solo for him if you will and almost immediately after, they all started playing again, Tidus’s smile just about splitting his face in two as he nodded along with Riku and Sora. They repeated the melody a couple times and then Tidus stepped towards the microphone…and started to sing.

“ _Brian_ ,” he started, that same smile still upon his face as Riku scoffed and rolled his eyes. It was true; they didn’t put his name in the song but his middle name was close enough! “ _Top marks for not trying. So kind of you to bless us with your effortlessness we’re grateful and so strangely comforted._ ” You smiled too, knowing they were referring to how easily Riku had shot Kairi down…twice.

“ _And I wonder are you putting us under, ‘cause we can’t take our eyes off the t-shirt and ties combination. Well see you later, innovator!_ ” There was another interlude, the guitar, bass, and drums taking over again before another guitar intertwined with the sounds as they introduced the next verse.

“ _Some want to kiss some want to kick you. There’s not a net you couldn’t slip through. Or at least that’s the impression I get cause you’re smooth and you’re wet and she’s not aware yet but she’s yours! She’ll be saying use me_.” You had to laugh at that. “ _Show me the Jacuzzi. I imagine that it’s there on a plate your rendezvous rate means that you’ll never be frightened to make them wait for a while. I doubt it’s your style not to get what you set out to acquire the eyes are on fire you are the un-forecasted storm…whup!_ ” 

Riku carried on this time, eyes flashing up momentarily to meet yours as he allowed himself to give you a wry, “What can you do?” smile as he rolled his eyes at his band mates. Your smile grew as you shrugged at him. The other boys joined in for a moment, before repeating the same process all over again, and they kept going, each one of them fully into the music. It built to an unbearably exciting crescendo and then Riku, Sora, and Roxas all leaned towards their microphones.

“ _Brian_ ,” they interjected before Tidus took up the vocals.

“ _Calm, collected, and commanding…_ ”

“ _Top marks for not trying,_ ” the other three boys sang, the heavy drums emphasizing Tidus’s words. 

“ _You made the other stories standing with your renditions and jokes bet there’s hundreds of blokes that have wept cause you’ve stolen their…_ ” a pause and Tidus winked. The entire band started up again as the blond blitzballer yelled, “ _Thunder! Are you putting us under? ‘Cause we can’t take our eyes off the t-shirt and ties combination_.” Riku and Roxas joined in for the last line, the blonds grinning wildly. “ _Well see you later, innovator!_ ” There was another pause and you made to clap, but before you could they started playing again, repeating the opening theme and finishing with a flourish.

“What’d you think?” Tidus asked expectantly, and you were about to reply, when Hiroshi stuck his head out the door and yelled that it was time for dinner. Smiling apologetically, you stood from your seat and started walking back to your house.

“I’ll tell you tomorrow…you’re rehearsing, right?” Sora grinned and gave you a thumbs up, everybody calling their goodbyes as you left. Riku nodded in your direction, his standard smirk on his face. He turned and immediately spotted the cattish grins on his friends’ faces. 

“You’re such a player,” Tidus said teasingly. Riku narrowed his eyes and directed the full effect of his glare on Tidus, teeth clenched as his eyes flashed dangerously.

“Shut up.” Tidus smiled innocently.

“Yeah, you got it.” A pause. A choked back unmanly giggle. And then… “Casanova.”

“Tidus.”

“Sorry.” A snort. “Don Juan.”

“TIDUS.”


	5. D is for Dangerous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2PeD5pK_Tw&feature=related

“Rise and shiiiine Sleeping Beauty, because there’s no way I’m going to kiss you,” Tidus said with a grin. He stood in Riku’s doorway arms akimbo, a sunny smile on his face and looking way too awake for 8:00 AM. Sighing when Riku didn’t get up, the blond stalked over to the bed and started kicking it, making the frame rattle. “Get UP, you lazy ass! I swear, every time we have rehearsal you’re always the last one ready, and it’s at **your** house!”

Snarling, Riku shot up and blindly grabbed for Tidus, hand grabbing his shirt and shaking him violently. The older teen glared at the blond, who was grinning madly from ear to ear. “Why the hell are you in my room so early?”

“Your mother is surprisingly on good terms with me, ya know? It’s my duty to make her little Riku-kins get his ass out of bed and showers so he can go out and spread his pheromones so every girl within a two mile radius suddenly has the urge to tear off her shirt for the boys — OW. What the shit, man!” Tidus said with a pout, rubbing his head. “Did you just kick my head?” Riku snorted and opted not to reply, instead releasing Tidus and stretching with a loud yawn. 

“Out,” he commanded, and smashed a hand against Tidus’ face, pushing him none too gently out the door. Sputtering, the blond fell ungracefully to the ground and frowned when the door slammed shut in front of his face. He stood and yelled down the stairs,

“Mitsuki! Your son is a world-class jerk!” 

He had no one else to blame when the door opened and a pillow came flying out, knocking him back to the ground.

~*~

“You look like shit,” Roxas commented blandly, drumsticks idly tapping his shoulder. Riku glared at him, running a hand through his hair.

“Thanks,” he mumbled sarcastically and wandered over to his bass, slowly picking it up. Roxas shrugged and turned on his seat so he was still watching the older boy.

“Just saying,” he said with a shrug. “I mean, you normally look like shit anyways, but this time…huh.” He closed one bright blue eye and surveyed the ‘tall, silver and handsome’ that Tidus had placed his hopes on. “…Did you not sleep last night or something?” Sora’s head shot up at that, and he glanced at Riku, worried. Tidus, meanwhile, had adopted a look much like a dog wagging its tail in anticipation for food.

“Oh? What’s this? Mind a little too…preoccupied with something?” The vocalist grinned eerily and loomed closer to the bassist. “Or someone~?” Both Riku and Roxas were ready to smack the perverse boy when suddenly a shadow fell across the entrance to the garage. All four boys turned to look at the disturbance and promptly froze. Sora squeaked (though he still denies it).

“You,” a guttural voice said, and stabbed a finger in Tidus’ direction. The blond jumped and pointed a finger at himself, blue eyes wide with horror. A silver eye peeked out from behind a wild nest of black hair, flashing with anger. “And you.” The finger of swiveled over to Roxas, who blanched a little. “And most of all YOU.” It landed dramatically on Riku, who stared back apathetically. Sora’s legs gave out. 

The ominous figure stood taller, the shadow swelling and filling the garage. Sora saw his life pass before his eyes. “SHUT. UP.” 

“…’Kay!” Tidus managed to say, holding his guitar protectively in front of him. “Sorry!” Hiro began to massage his temples as he walked away, muttering under his breath.

“What is it with this guy?” Tidus whispered, warily eyeing the entrance to the garage. 

“Who knows,” Roxas said, tossing his sticks in the air. “What’re we going to rehearse?” Tidus winked and ambled casually to the back of the garage, patting the drummer’s head.

“Songs that express Riku’s monosyllabic desires for our darling (Name), of course,” he chirped. “I think she’s our new muse. Or at least the main subject in pretty much every single dream I’ve had this week.” Riku grabbed a cable and whipped it at Tidus, the sharp snap of plastic hitting flesh punctuated with a yell of pain. 

Roxas rolled his eyes and set his drumsticks down, and then put his hands behind his head. “Did he hit a nerve, Ri?” he asked with a smirk, not phased in the least by the death glare he was receiving. Tidus’ eyes gleamed, and he stroked his chin as a feline grin tugged his lips upwards.

“Oh ho…what’s this? Is Riku hiding something from us? That hurts me…I thought we were closer than that,” the blitzball player said with a sniffle. 

“Am I interrupting something?” All four boys turned towards the entrance of the garage, meeting your amused gaze.

“Did Hiro send you to kick our asses? We being too loud for him again?” Tidus asked, voice a little scathing. You laughed, tucking your hair behind your ear.

“He’s stressed about school. Something about weekly labs and inconclusive research,” you replied lightly, crossing your arms. 

“Yeah? I kinda thought he just didn’t like us,” he replied, looking intently at you. You shifted uncomfortably, not entirely sure how to respond. 

Unable to bear the sudden awkwardness that blanketed your small group, Sora pointed a finger in the air, blue eyes wide as he blurted out the first reason that entered his mind. “Parallel universe?” You glanced at the brunet from where you were standing, tilting your head. “Maybe we pissed him off in a past life?” Three pairs of confused eyes stared at him. You laughed a little, looking a tad unsettled. 

“Are you guys sure you should be rehearsing this early? Everybody seems a bit…off,” you stated hesitantly. Tidus smiled and waved you off, reaching for his notebook and pen.

“The morning is when our brain stimulus is at its highest, and allows for greater flow of creativity,” he explained, scribbling madly on the pad of paper. “Parallel universe…I like that…” Roxas cracked open an eye, having closed them and almost fallen asleep on an amp.

“You were practising that speech all last night, weren’t you?” Riku asked blandly, prodding Roxas’s side with a drumstick. 

“A good leader is always prepared,” Tidus said in a stony voice, barely managing to keep his features from jumping back into their normally idiotic expression. Roxas rose and snatched his stick back from Riku, before turning and glaring at the vocalist.

“Who died and made you king?” he snarled. 

“It was a unanimous decision before that we would be called ‘Tidus and the Boys’–”

“I don’t remember agreeing to that,” Riku said, eyes narrowing as he also looked at Tidus.

“I think we decided that sounded stupid,” Sora said, a frown creasing his brow as he looked at the lead singer as well. You quickly intervened, sensing the prelude to another one of Tidus’ beatings. 

“What are you guys called now?” The boys blinked and turned to look at you, Roxas having grabbed Tidus’ arms and forced them behind his back, Riku about to pinch Tidus’ cheeks and see how far they would stretch, and Sora, hands up as he tried to persuade the two boys not to go through with it.

“Oh, we really are called Tidus and the BAUuugHHhhh” the blitzballer started to say, before Riku did grab his cheeks and pulled on them when the blond was mid-sentence, a smirk tugging on the older boy’s lips. 

“You were saying?” Roxas asked, deliberately trailing off and then snickering when all Tidus did was let out a miserable whine. “That’s what you get,” he said with a smug smile, sharing a rare moment of bonding with Riku. 

“Kingdom Hearts,” Riku told you, finally answering your question as lazy cerulean eyes looked your way. He looked at you maybe a bit longer than he should have, but quickly played it off with a casual smack to the back of Tidus’ head. “You’re the one who insisted we move the time earlier, so why don’t you try and focus?” 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Tidus said in a wounded voice, a hand pressed to his cheek. “I would but I’ve just been abused. Keep this up and see how long I’m friends with – fuck!! How many times are you going to hit me today?” Tidus asked, staring with accusatory eyes up at Riku. 

“Less than twenty, more than five,” the silver-headed boy answered blandly, crossing his arms. 

“Oh. I feel so comforted,” the blond said in a deadpan voice, before tottering over to you. “You still love me, right?” he asked, crocodile tears pouring down his cheeks as he reached out for you.

“Hey!” Tidus froze mid grasp, nearly snapping his neck as he jumped and snapped his gaze towards your front doo where Hiro had suddenly appeared.

“Are you serious right now,” you whispered, resentment in your voice as you reluctantly began to walk away from your friends.

“Wait,” Riku said quite suddenly. All eyes turned to look at him and he froze, momentarily confused by his outburst. He looked awkwardly at you, deciding not to voice his sudden desire for you to stay. “…It’s nothing,” he mumbled but Tidus smirked, sidling nearer to the silver-haired boy.

“No, no no no, Riku. Go on,” he simpered with a decidedly evil snicker, and Roxas smirked, twirling his drumsticks in his hand.

“Yeah, c’mon, Riku. You can’t just leave us hanging like that…” the drummer interjected. Sora could only shrug his shoulders helplessly at his best friend, a trace of sympathy entering his eyes. 

Riku snarled and gritted his teeth, grinding them together. “I…was wondering,” he trailed off and glanced at his ‘friends’, inhaling sharply and frowning when he noticed their unrelenting stares, “if you wanted to, y’know, hang out later? We still have those tickets to the arcade, right?” he tacked on at the end, lest he sound like he was desperate for your company.

You nodded and smiled, ignoring the calculating look Hiroshi was sending Riku, equal parts suspicious and over-protective. “Yeah. That’d be nice. Text me when you’re done, hm?” Sora turned and nodded furiously, the other boys (excluding Riku) bidding you a hasty goodbye. They had the decency to wait until you entered your house before rounding on Riku.

“Oooh? A date? What’s this? Has our darling Riku finally found a girl?” Tidus asked a sly smile still pasted onto his features. “And why were you so awkward? You that emotionally stunted or something?” 

“Fuck off,” Riku hissed under his breath.

“You are acting kind of flustered, Ri,” Sora commented with a slight smile on his face. Tidus’s face lit up and he pounced as Riku sent his ~~former~~ best friend a glare.

“Hahaha, what happened? Did you have a wet dream about her something?” Tidus managed to wheeze between chuckles, relishing in his friend’s embarrassment. Riku’s jaw line tensed and Tidus’s eyes widened. “Well, smack me silly and call me Sally.”

“Are you serious?” Roxas asked, amusement colouring his voice. “Your ass is grass if Hiro finds out that you were entertaining less than pure thoughts about his sister. He already fucking hates us.”

“Like I don’t know that,” Riku grumbled, running a hand through his hair as he sighed exasperatedly. “And you! Stop writing whatever the fuck you’re putting down!” he hissed, stomping over to Tidus. The vocalist darted away, still scribbling madly.

“Don’t obstruct creative flow, pervert. Worry more about keeping your pants on,” he replied in a satisfied voice, finishing his lyrics with a flourish. “Go have another dream about your lady love next door.”

“Look, it’s not like I asked for it to happen!” Riku said in a strained voice, still trying to catch the younger boy. “And it was more of a nightmare than anything—”

“Denial, denial, he’s in denial~” Tidus crowed, darting around the garage. Still cackling madly, he passed his notebook to Sora, who read it over and laughed appreciatively. 

“Looks good,” he said with a smile and handed it to Roxas, who easily fended Riku off with a drumstick as he scanned the words.

“Oh, lighten up, jackass. It’s not half bad,” the blond said, and then shoved the notebook in Riku’s face. Riku scoffed and stopped the book about to flatten his face, quickly reading over the words scrawled messily on the page.

“Either you let us use it or I write something worse,” Tidus said, a smirk on his face. Riku’s eyes flashed. 

“I’m not playing this,” he spat out vehemently, mortified that his friends were exploiting his weakness in such a fashion.

“Then she’ll know something’s up,” Sora said, grinning widely when cerulean eyes glared at him. 

“And this best option you’ve got. You know Tidus. He could make it waaaay worse,” Roxas added. Riku groaned and sat heavily on an amp, a hand covering his face as the other held the notebook out.

“Screw you all.”

“Maybe later.”

~*~

Two hours later, the time punctuated with muttering, laughing, and the bare outlines of a song, there was a knock at your door. Sora, having been expecting you to answer the door, was momentarily at a loss of words when the door was flung open by your younger sister. 

“Uhhh…hi?” he said uncertainly. She stared up at him, silently chewing her gum, surveying him as he crouched slightly down to her eye level. “I’m Sora. What’s your name?”

“I’m not six,” she said snippily. Sora’s smile crumpled. What was up with your family? 

“Okay? Is (Name) home?” 

“Why do **you** want to know?”

“Sora?” you asked, surprise crossing your face as you walked down the hall towards him. “I didn’t hear anybody at the door,” you said, and glanced down at your younger sister. “Mira, you’re in the way.” She gave Sora a final onceover and snapped her gum before walking away without another word. “You guys are done rehearsing?”

“Yeah! Your little sister is, uh…” Sora trailed off, not entirely sure how to phrase his thoughts without offending you and insulting a ‘not six’ year old. You laughing humourlessly.

“Is it obvious she’s close to Hiro?” you asked drily, ushering him out the door. 

“Let’s go let’s go let’s go!” Tidus yelled from the car, nearly hanging out the window. Riku was sitting in the driver’s seat, and suddenly accelerated forward so the blond let out a yell, almost falling out the window. “You ass!” the lead singer muttered, scrambling to safety. Sora darted around you and hopped into the back seat, leaving shotgun to you. You slid into the car and smiled at Riku.

“So…Destiny Islands has one high school, one bar, a fuckton of dances, and an arcade? What’s the arcade like?” you asked. 

“It’s an arcade,” Riku said with a shrug, half-glancing at you. He bit back a curse when Roxas kicked his chair. “Think 80s nostalgia at its peak. You’ll like it,” he said, glancing at you again, trying to temper any nerves he was feeling with a slight quirk of his lips before focusing once more on the road. You turned a light pink and murmured an ‘okay’, turning to look out the window as a silly smile grew on your face.

He’d smiled at you. And as stupid as you felt about the butterflies fluttering about in your stomach, you couldn’t stop the happiness rushing through your veins. Because it hadn’t been a grin, or a smirk, or a half-smile, but a real, curved, soft and reassuring smile.

“Someone’s whipped,” Tidus whispered and Sora nodded enthusiastically. 

“Shut up,” Roxas said automatically, elbowing Tidus in the side. But he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his lips as well. 

~*~

“Aw…come on! I swear I had it, an’ you know I only came out for a second!” a dirty blond whined, looking like a kicked puppy. 

“Don’t care,” the arcade attendant said mechanically, avoiding looking the dejected college student in the eyes. “Either you’ve got a pass, or you don’t. And you don’t.” The older boy sputtered for a second before turning and kicking idly at a patch of grass.

“Cloud was right,” he muttered. “Smoking does get you in a hell of a lot of trouble…” He pulled out a pack of cigarettes anyway, bitterly insulting the cigarette butt in the trashcan that had gotten him into his current predicament in the first place. 

“Demyx? What’re you doing here?” Sora asked, arching an eyebrow. Eyes flicking over to your ragtag group, Demyx’s eyes lit up and he promptly shoved his lighter back into his pocket, sticking his cigarette behind his ear. 

“I love you guys!” he crowed, and darted forward, nearly tripping over his clunky combat boots. Laughing sheepishly, he scratched the back of his head. “Can I ask a favour?” He looked at each face, gaze leaping and never staying until he met your eyes. He tilted his head to the side. “Who’s this?”

“(Name),” you said, and offered a friendly smile and a hand. Grabbing the proffered appendage, Demyx enthusiastically shook your hand, ignoring the way he was flailing your arm every which way.

“Demyx,” he said, a silly smile on his face. You laughed a little, amused at how his personality was completely contrary to his appearance; though he was tall and lanky, the multiple piercings in his ears, the studded belt hanging low on his hips and his mohawk gave him the impression of a tough, touchy punk. 

“Is that new?” Sora asked, waving a hand at Demyx’s face. 

“This? Yeah it is,” the blond said, a wide smile on his face as he pointed at the eyebrow piercing. “Moving on, I need your help!” he exclaimed, flinging his arms into the air before reached a hand down and hoisting his dark-wash jeans back onto his waist. 

“What d’you need?” you asked, arching an eyebrow at Riku. The silver-haired teen shrugged and smirked at you.

“To prove my honest, innocent, totally ‘I am always the victim’ character to that hard-hearted attendant over there so I can get back in the arcade,” Demyx declared, jerking a thumb over at said attendant. 

“Or…we could just give you the extra pass we have,” Roxas drawled, waving one of the tickets in front of Demyx’s face. 

“Roxas, I’ve always been an excellent friend to you and you are the single most amazing person I’ve ever met and I love you in a completely friendly and platonic manner.”

“‘Friendly’ and ‘platonic’ mean the same thing, dipshit. Aren’t you getting an English degree?”

“And I also love your ability to expand my vocabulary while simultaneously keeping my self-esteem at a humble level with your constant insults.” Roxas snorted but handed the ticket over to Demyx anyway. 

“Hey! Since when do we fraternize with the enemy?” Tidus asked loudly with a squawk. You stared at the boy, brow furrowing.

“Enemy?”

“Yeah! Everybody knows that whatever-their-name-is–”

“We’re called Oblivion,” Demyx muttered sullenly.

“–Is a huge, big, fat, enemy of Kingdom Hearts!” the blitzball player finished with an emphatic point at Demyx. 

“And nobody cares,” Roxas shot back, following Riku, Sora, and you into the arcade, having already handed your passes to the attendant.

“I’m pretty sure the only enemies are Riku and Axel, and you versus everyone,” Demyx chirped, before quickly running off to the attendant. Tidus snorted but followed, grudgingly acting civil with the rival guitarist.

“How’s your fire-crotch singer anyways?”

Demyx shrugged. “Haven’t heard from him in a while…maybe he’s free right now?” He pulled out his phone and then yelped when it was smacked out of his hand. “Dude!”

“Don’t fucking text him,” Tidus hissed, uncharacteristically angry. “Let the jerk rot wherever he is.” He stalked off. Demyx slowly stood up and shook his head.

“He’s like a half hour away, man,” he called after Tidus’ back. The vocalist’s shoulders stiffened and he stopped, not even moving when Demyx brushed by him. “And he might’ve said something about coming back in the next week.” The minute he was gone, Tidus turned and delivered a violent kick to the pillar beside him before storming off, grumbling vehemently under his breath.

After a few hours, Riku flopped down beside you, arm going casually behind your head to rest along the back of your chair. “Having fun?” he asked, peering at you curiously. Taking another sip of your lemonade, you said around your straw,

“Yeah. But I think Tidus is a little bummed that I beat him.” You nodded towards the teen who was currently sitting in a corner, clouds of depression hanging over him. Riku scoffed and shrugged. 

“He’ll get over it,” he said, and looked around the arcade. A brief silence fell over the two of you, and you leaned forward to set your lemonade down. Glancing to find the source of the soft ‘tap’ he heard when your cup hit the table, he smirked and leaned forward, grabbing your cup. “You chew on your straws?” he asked, looking at you. You coloured a little at the evidence of the habit.

“I’ve been doing it since I was little,” you admitted, trying to grab the cup back. Laughing a little and holding you back with a hand on your shoulder (your body tingled) his smirk morphed into a smile.

“Hey, whatever. I think it’s cute.” Fingers brushing his, you took your beverage, a little startled when he reached out and loosely grabbed your wrist, temporarily keeping your arm immobile. 

“What is it?” you asked, a thrum like electricity making your body hum with anticipation.

“(Name),” you flushed with pleasure when he said your name; today was a day of firsts, wasn’t it? “I was wondering if I…well, if you’d like to–”

“SNAP. WHAT? HIGH SCORE? We see the facts and we’re voting YES YES YESSSSS, BITCH!” Demyx yelled, jumping up and down in victory as he air-guitared and laughed uproariously. Riku automatically moved back from where he’d been leaning in, and you flushed and turned away, slurping loudly at your empty cup.

Roxas tripped Demyx as Sora face-palmed.

~*~

“What? SERIOUSLY? How did I miss this?” Tidus asked, clearly distraught. He finished plugging into his amp, and continued to stare at Roxas pleadingly.

“Because you’re an idiot and were too busy drowning in your self-involved sulk to notice anything,” the other blond deadpanned, taking another bite of pizza. Tidus reached for the box but Roxas kicked his hand away. “You’ve had five slices already.”

“Is there any pizza left?” Sora asked, walking outside with a stack of cups in one hand, and a bottle of pop in the other. “Or did Tidus eat it all?” You walked out with a plate of garlic bread, laughing when the vocalist quickly set down his guitar and then darted forward, grabbing a piece. 

“Hungry much?” you asked grabbing a piece for yourself. Riku stepped out with a stack of napkins and a carton of orange juice. Setting his items down, he sat beside you and then grabbed a plate, piling on pizza and garlic bread for himself. Tidus grinned from around his bread.

After the impromptu meal (Tidus had been whining about being hungry), you gathered the dirty dishes and trashcan, stepping inside despite Riku’s protests to help clean up. The older teen was about to follow you when a hand shot out and latched onto the hem of his shirt. 

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Tidus purred, eyes glinting. 

“You’ve barely ‘done’ anything,” Riku shot back before disappearing into the house.

“Oh…oh,” Tidus said, doing a ‘z’-snap as his other hand covered his heart. “That hurts me right here, JACKASS!” he yelled just before the door closed. He sat back down, satisfied, before turning to look at Roxas and Sora. “If there is an increase in births nine months from now, I’m not responsible.” 

However, to Tidus’ disappointment (and Sora’s relief because really? Riku? Having sex in the kitchen after he’d seen what had happened when Roxas had tried to marinate a steak in there? EW.) the two of you reappeared after a mere ten minutes. The vocalist mouthed ‘quickie?’ to Roxas, and received a kick for his troubles.

“I don’t even want to know,” Riku said when Sora opened his mouth to explain. Shrugging helplessly at you, Sora grinned sheepishly as you looked questioningly at the twitching blitzball player, walking past him to your chair. Finally heaving himself up into a standing position, Tidus limped dramatically to his microphone, letting out a world-weary sigh. 

“They don’t appreciate my quick wit and fresh humour,” he lamented before clearing his throat. “Anyway, we’ve got a bit of a show going on for you, as usual,” he said with a wink. “It’s a little rough, but some people like it like that. Prepare yourself for the first performance of ‘D is for Dangerous’.” The song started off with Roxas starting to drum before it quickly fizzled out as Sora glanced at Riku.

“You ready?” he asked, and the older boy finished untangling his wires (a present from Tidus). 

“Yeah,” he said, shooting a glare at the blond who was carefully avoiding meeting his eyes. They started again, this time Riku playing a single note to accompany Roxas’ mini-solo. After a few seconds Tidus and Roxas began to sing, Riku’s fingers deftly playing a simple melody to accompany them.

“ _He knew what he wanted to say but he didn’t know how to word it; the dirty little Herbert was thinking an escape, but the place was well guarded. The guiltiness that started soon as the other part had stopped_ ,” Tidus belted out, Roxas occasionally joining him. Letting out a delighted ‘whoop!’ Tidus and Sora started to play as well.

“ _D is for Delightful and try and keep your trousers on! I think you should know you’re his favourite worst nightmare!_ ” The vocalist turned and grinned at the bassist, who sneered back at him. Turning back to you, Tidus winked as Roxas sang,

“ _D is for..._ ”

“ _Desperately trying to stimulate what it was that was alright three quarters of an hour ago,_ ” Tidus sang, smoothly joining in as the melody did a repetition of the first verse. “ _That had led him to be in a position and every compromising…_ ”

“ _Another freak episode_ ,” Tidus sang. Sora bobbed his head to the music, jumping straight into his part once more. Tidus sang along, voice rising and falling with the melody as he continued to play. Quite suddenly the guitarists dropped out, leaving only Riku and Roxas playing. Sora let his last note wail out, before silencing it as Tidus leaned in to say,

“ _He’s nearing the brink but he thinks first the parallel universe perhaps could be the perfect scene_.” You laughed when you recognized the ‘parallel universe’ from the morning. Roxas grinned and joined in. “ _He’s nearing the brink but he thinks first the parallel universe perhaps could be the perfect scene. He’s nearing the brink but he thinks first the parallel universe perhaps could be the perfect scene!_ ” They slowly began to get louder and louder until they were nearly yelling,

“ _He’s nearing the brink but he thinks first the parallel — I think you should know you’re his favourite worst nightmare!_ ” They jumped right back into the main melody, jumping about and letting out wordless, exuberant yells, laughing as the song continued. Tidus whipped back around, a huge smile on his face as he belted out,

“ _D is for delightful and try and keep your trousers on!_ ” The melody continued and, nearing the end of their song, repeated the same chord for eight beats, each building up to a crescendo of energy and anticipation. Tidus and Roxas both moved forward and yelled,

“ _You should know you’re his favourite worst nightmare!_ ” They finished with a flourish, laughing and congratulating each other for not messing up, considering it was their first time playing the whole thing through. You applauded, a smile on your face as you laughed with them.

“That was excellent!” you said, sincerity laced into every word. 

“Aw…come here!” Tidus said, and motioned you over. Laughing more, you walked over and hugged him back when he swept you into his arms. “Gents, I present to you our single most loyal fan!” he declared, and pushed you towards the other three boys. Sora blushed but hugged you nonetheless, thanking you for listening. Roxas awkwardly patted your back as you hugged him, a light flush dusting his cheeks as he scratched the back of his head.

Riku smirked when you walked forward, and your body hummed with a little apprehension as you reminded yourself that now was not the time or place to use his body as a jungle-gym. You awkwardly started for him at the same time he stepped forward, arms open and he laughed a little. Your smile turned a tad embarrassed in return and after a few more moments of dancing around wires and trying to figure out who was moving where, you wrapped your arms around his torso.

He put his arms around you and pulled your closer until your body was flush against his, a blush blooming on your cheeks when you rested your cheek on his chest. The two of you stayed there for a moment, relishing in the simple gesture.

“Oh, for the love of all that is Sora and his virgin eyes, you guys have got to stop or kiss. Either one. Or get a room,” Tidus drawled, eyes gleaming. Riku glared at him but reluctantly let you go all the same, shoving his hands deep in his pockets.

“…So,” you said, swinging your arms back and forth at your side. You cleared your throat awkwardly when you hand brushed his leg and started to quickly walk for the garage entrance. “I’ll see you guys later!” you called back, waving and then running for your door.

“Good job, idiot,” Roxas said, walking over and punching Tidus hard in the arm. Riku snorted and walked over to the other three boys and lazily grabbed Roxas, who was repeatedly punching Tidus, not really caring where the blows were landing nor how hard they were.

“Hey, he ruined the moment. I think he deserves the beating,” Roxas protested, eyes narrowed as he looked up at Riku. Pausing for a moment, the older boy nodded and acquiesced, releasing Roxas once more. Sora yelped and lunged forward, dragging his twin away from the blitzball player. Lowering his arms and uncurling, Tidus looked up at Roxas and said,

“OW. WHAT THE HELL!” He winced as he clutched his side . “I think you dislocated my spleen!”

“Apologize, asshat,” Roxas said with a frown, threateningly raising another fist.

“Okay! Fine! Riku, I’m sorry for cockblocking you!”

“…”

“…”

“…are you fucking kidding me?”


	6. What If You Were Right the First Time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if your name is Mocha. 
> 
> Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJtZcNsJ9x8

“Do you know what I love about school?” Tidus asked, tapping through Facebook posts as he trotted beside Riku. The blond was poorly dressed, tie loose around his neck, the skinny part far longer than it should have been. He fiddled with his popped collar and then idly pulled his shirt out. “You see that Rai and Fuu are dating?” he asked, glancing up at Riku. The older boy snorted and shoved a hand in his pocket.

“They probably have the stupidest conversations,” Riku laughed, running a hand through his hair. Tidus locked his phone and stared thoughtfully at the sky, still talking.

“But like I was saying before, do you know what I love about school?” The older boy ignored him, opting instead to grab the back of Sora’s shirt as the younger boy almost blindly walked into traffic, his eyes fixated on his phone. Tidus continued, nearly slipping off the curb himself. “But do ya, Riku? Do you know?” He snickered. “Do you know do you know do you know do you know–hkkk!”

Riku tightened his fist on Tidus’s shirt, frowning as his eyes narrowed. “It’s too early for Enrique Inglesias. So shut up, or your face meets the ground.” One last shake and the blond was released, sighing as he straightened his uniform.

“You know, one day you’re going to pick on someone’s who’s going to kick your ass…and I’ll laugh,” he said with a pout, combing his hair with his fingers. “I’ll have a good laugh.”

“Whatever you say, bud,” Riku said, nudging Sora forward. After several minutes of Tidus bitching and Sora nearly smacking his face into several lampposts, the trio finally made it to school, maneuvering through the crowded hall to their respective classrooms. Three bells and one robotic pledge of allegiance later, the classroom was filled with the buzz of conversation under the guise of groupwork.

“We missed you today,” Sora said, idly twirling his pencil around in the air, watching it flash and spin around before him. “Even Roxas didn’t see you, and he leaves at the asscrack of dawn.”

You glanced up at the boy, pen poised in the air before you smiled apologetically. “Sorry about that,” you said with a laugh. “My little sister was having some trouble at school, so I had to go walk her before coming here. You know how being 12 is…” You shrugged, giving them a lopsided smile.

Tidus plopped down in the seat in front of you, ‘accidentally’ knocking a fellow student out of their seat. “I forgot about her!” he declared, folding his arms on your desk and resting his chin atop them. “I love twelve-year-old girls,” he cooed, giving you a toothy grin.

Sora balked, face screwing up in disgust. “…what is wrong with you today?” 

“Oh, come on!” Tidus grimaced. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”

“You’re worse than him,” a voice interjected dryly, and the three of you turned to see Riku in the doorway, one hand shoved in his pocket. Keeping his other fist resting on the door, he nodded at your teacher.

“What’re you doing here?” Sora asked eyes wide as his jaw just about dropped to the ground. 

“…I still go to the same school as you, Sora.” The teacher cleared her throat, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised as she waited to find out what Riku wanted. As the two of them spoke, Tidus whipped his head back around to you and Sora. 

“I never finished talking with him!” he hissed, pouting. You blinked, looking skeptically at the other boy.

“…about what?” He opened his mouth to explain as Sora plugged his ears — he really didn’t want to know what Tidus was talking about — but at the moment the teacher turned back around, clapping her hands to get the class’s attention.

“Two of you are in luck,” she said in a dry voice, eyes flashing over her glasses. “The senior Psychology class needs two students, a male and a female, to conduct a survey. Now…who wants out of first period that badly?” Tidus’s arm shot up, his hand holding yours so your arm was raised as well. You blinked, taken aback by the sudden action. “…Tidus,” Ms. Anderson said, smirking as she surveyed the raised hands of every girl there, “and…”

“(Name)!” the blitzball player stage-whispered, grinning broadly when the teacher looked at him.

“Mocha,” she said, her grin turning a tad evil as Tidus’s face fell. “Now if the two of you follow Riku here, the sooner the poor boy can get back to class.” Tidus bolted out of his seat faster than Mocha — which was saying something — and just about ran over to the older boy, giving him a jovial smack on the back. Riku didn’t even flinch despite the amount of force behind the other boy’s swing, much to Tidus’s chagrin. Regardless, he cheerily trailed after his friend into the hallway, his stretching his arms above his head.

“So! You know, I never got to finish what I was saying this morning–”

“Fill these out,” Riku said, abruptly cutting Tidus off as he shoved the survey against Tidus’s chest, handing the other to Mocha. She gave him a faint grin and stuttered a ‘thank you’, but Riku had already turned to look down the hallway.

“And…done,” Tidus said with an unnecessary flourish, giving the hastily completed survey back to the older boy. “Speaking of finishing things…can I say the rest of what I was saying this morning?”

“You’d do it even if I said no,” Riku deadpanned, running a hand through his hair with a world-weary sigh.

“Damn straight!” Tidus crowed, grinning. “Anyways, you know what I like about school?” There was a pause. “…you’re supposed to ask “what, Tidus,” Riku.”

There was another sigh. “What, Tidus.”

“Bonding!” the blond said, winking and pointing a finger in the air. “You know, creating bonds with our fellow peers! Getting that deep, gritty, bro-lationship, and then it’s friendship-land from there on out!”

Riku frowned and grabbed the survey from Mocha, who had tentatively tapped his elbow with it. “Somehow you’re more insane than usual,” he said, flicking through the surveys to see if there were any questions left unanswered. “Thanks for your time.”

“Hey! I haven’t finished yet!” Tidus squawked, waving his cue-cards in the air. Riku walked off, waving a hand in a lazy goodbye. Sighing and pouting, Tidus put his hands on his hips, glaring at the back of the older boy disappearing down the hallway. “Men!” he huffed, turning to look at Mocha, perhaps in an attempt to empathize with someone, but she had already left. He wrinkled his nose and ruffled his hair, slowly turning back to the door when he caught sight of someone down the hall. “Roxasss!” he called out, waving exuberantly. 

“Damn, you noticed me,” Roxas said in a flat voice, pausing in front of the water fountain, bottle in his hand. Tidus quickly walked over to his friend, leaning in and cupping a hand to his mouth to whisper,

“We’ve got a problem. Riku’s a moron.” Roxas wrinkled his nose and his eyes narrowed.

“That sounds like a ‘you’ problem,” the drummer commented, water bottle dangling loosely from his hand. Tidus chose to ignore him and leaned against the wall next to the water fountain, ruffling his hair his both hands and growling.

“The fucking idiot is so dense he wouldn’t know a feeling if it mushroom slapped his face!” he just about wailed, fisting his hair and tugging on it. He continued to babble nonsensically, gesturing wildly as he chattered. Roxas stared blankly at him for a few seconds and then calmly turned on the water fountain, carefully pressed his finger on the opening and sprayed the stream of water into Tidus’s face. 

“What the fuck was that for?” Tidus spluttered, wiping furiously at his face. 

Roxas shrugged. “It was there, you were there, and you wouldn’t shut up,” he said, taking a drink from the fountain. Tidus was about to use the other water fountain to soak the back of the drummer’s shirt when a hand patted his shoulder.

“Why, Tidus Zanarkand!” an overly sweet voice said, and said boy slowly turned his head, dread weighing heavily in his stomach, his heart in his throat. Ms. Anderson’s smile grew bigger. “You know, I was starting class again when I realized that a certain loud-mouthed idiot wasn’t there. And if I could have my way you’d stay out here every day so you wouldn’t interrupt me every five minutes, but unfortunately some kind soul has decided that it’s in my best interest to educate you. So, with that being said, feel like going back to class instead of keeping poor Mr. Strife hostage?”

Tidus started to reply, but Ms. Anderson’s eyes narrowed and his mouth snapped shut. “Great,” she chirped and proceeded to drag him back to class as Roxas watched on, just the slightest smile on his face as he waved goodbye, completely ignoring Tidus’s outstretched arms and silent plea for rescue.

“Where have you been?” Sora asked, brow furrowing as Tidus sat heavily in his seat, falling forward and laying limp on top of his desk. Blue met blue and Tidus let out a heavy, mournful sigh.

“Oh, you lucky, unscarred soul. Never have you had to face the unending horror of watching your life flash before your eyes before coming to the frighteningly quick end and realizing that you’re going to die half a virgin.” Sora flushed and inched away from his friend.

“What are you talking about?” Tidus let out a world-weary sigh and started to relate his various troubles to his unwilling friend when Ms. Anderson promptly whacked her text on her desk, effectively startling the blond out of his monologue.

“Care to tell us what’s more important than Marc-Antoine, Mr. Zanarkand?” she asked in a deceptively sweet voice, her eyes flashing behind her glasses. “Is it some personal problem that you feel needs to be sorted out during French class, instead of after?”

“Why, you’re psychic, miss,” Tidus chirped, grinning from ear to ear as he looked her in the eye, silently pleading, _please don’t make my life miserable; it’s only been five minutes!_

She arched an eyebrow. _Since you asked nicely…uh, no._ “Why don’t you enlighten the rest of the class, then? And, seeing as you feel you don’t need to listen, I’d like you to say it in French.” His face fell and he let out another sigh, eyes catching yours for the briefest moment during which you conveyed your pity for him. Tidus slowly sat up, pondering as to the best way to say, in French that he didn’t want to die half a virgin.

After careful consideration — he decided that ‘sex’ wasn’t ‘le sex’ in French (or was it?), that ‘sayonara’ was goodbye in Japanese, and ‘Aht Uh Mi Hed’ was a song title — he drew in a deep breath, crossed his fingers, smiled (Sora cringed and forced himself not to cover his face in horror) and said,

“Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?”

~*~

“What kind of idiot quotes a Queen Latifah song in French class and gets detention for it?” Riku asked as he stared dispassionately at the window. You, Sora and Roxas were beside him, eyes trained to Tidus who had pressed his body and face into the glass. His arms were spread in a sorry attempt at an air hug, his facial features distorted as he mouthed an, ‘I miss you’ and accidentally smeared saliva onto his cheek.

“What kind of idiot uses **that** idiot as a subject for his psych lab?” Roxas shot back, smirking when Riku glared at him.

“Actually, it’s by the group Labelle,” Sora chirped, pointing a finger in the air. His smile faltered when the rest of the group turned to look at him, and he wilted a little. “I like the 70s,” he mumbled. 

“Sometimes I worry,” Roxas sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“Hey!” Sora said, eyes narrowing slightly. “You get to blast Nirvana, so I get to blast Labelle.”

“It wouldn’t be so bad if you didn’t dance so badly to it,” Riku added with a snort.

“Says the boy who only knew the funky chicken up until grade eight!” Sora retorted, grinning triumphantly when Riku conceded with a shake of his head and a smile. You bit your lip, trying your best not to laugh lest you spoil the pure gold in front of you.

“So is that why you didn’t want to dance last week?” you asked playfully. Riku arched an eyebrow at you.

“Nah. I just didn’t want to make you look bad,” he replied with a smirk. You laughed and started to reply when there was a tapping on the window. You all turned to see Tidus standing smugly beside his artwork, _Is this luuuurve?_ written on the foggy glass. The blitzballer quickly exhaled a few more times and continued to painstakingly inscribe his message so it was readable. _Use a condom._

You flushed and nervously chuckled, Roxas rolled his eyes and looked skyward, and Sora desperately tried to bleach his brain as best he could. Riku, on the other hand calmly walked forward, giving his friend a friendly smile; Tidus felt his blood freeze.

“How tall are you?” the silver haired boy asked lightly, the smile not moving. Tidus stared warily at his ‘friend’ (or the harbinger of his doom because really, with a smile like that who could tell?)

“Five foot eight…why?” 

Riku shrugged and then his smile turned decidedly creepy and into more of a leer. “So I can order your coffin for tomorrow.”

“…ha. Ha ha you’re a funny guy,” Tidus squeaked, inching backwards. Windows never seemed more fragile. The school had invested in bulletproof glass, right?

“I like that idea,” Roxas interjected, coming to stand beside the older boy. He smirked. “Just think…on your gravestone we can put: Tidus Zanarkand. Bludgeoned to death by his so-called friends.” Tidus sputtered uselessly as his two bandmates (friends? HA.) grinned, waved, turned and then started to walk away, pulling you and Sora away with them.

Tidus sighed heavily as he watched his friends walk off, wishing more than anything that he was with them instead of stuck in a classroom for another fifty minutes. “I hate this!” he whined quietly, letting his head hit the window. After a few more minutes of heavy sighing and idly drumming on the glass pane, he quickly sat down when Ms. Anderson raised her head to ensure that he was working on something instead of writing obscene messages on the window. 

The blond glared at the French work in front of him and shrugged. Abandoning his unfinished picture of Godzilla in a fight with Spiderman dressed in a tutu, he grabbed his notebook from his bag and flipped it to a blank page. He grabbed a pen and cackled, starting to scribble down some lyrics. 

~*~

Riku couldn’t sleep.

For the past little while he’d been tossing in his bed, eyes uselessly shut to try and coax himself into a light slumber, but the odd feeling in his chest wouldn’t leave. He sighed and sat up, rubbing a hand down his face as he fought the urge to yell until his voice grew hoarse in hopes that it would untangle the knot in his gut. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop his conversation with you that was running repeatedly through his mind, every repetition bringing about a new improvement: the way your eyes crinkled at the corners when you smiled, and the shallowest dimple that appeared in your left cheek. 

He rolled his eyes and scoffed; he was being ridiculous. But… He glanced at the clock, groaning when 2:36 AM flashed mockingly at him, the world outside his window dark and still. His eyes flickered over to his cellphone, the screen innocent yet tempting. Battling with himself for a few more minutes Riku gave in and unlocked it, scrolling through his contacts. He eyed each name critically, weighing the pros and cons as he considered each person. Sora? He was a heavy sleeper, and the most he’d get out of his best friend if he woke up would be incoherent mumbles and grunts, which would eventually give way to snores. Roxas? …if he wanted to get bitched at for fifteen minutes. 

Tidus?

…no way. He scoffed and tossed his phone back onto his dresser and lay back, his head resting on his hands. After another relatively short internal battle Riku groaned and sat back up, grabbed his phone and called Tidus’s cell.

“Herro?” a groggy voice answered, a static filled yawn following soon after the partially coherent greeting.

“…hey, it’s me,” Riku said in reply, hoping that the half-asleep Tidus would be significantly less insane than the awake one.

“Riku? What’re you calling me for?” Tidus asked in a slurred voice, so in reality it was more like, “Riku? Whatroo callin’ mehfer?” 

“Er…I–” Riku paused, fighting with himself yet again. “…I’m going to regret this,” he muttered under his breath.

“Huh?”

“Nothing. You tell anybody about this and you’re dead..”

“…I would say this sounds juicy, but you’ve started every single conversation on the phone with me like this, so it’s doing nothing for me,” Tidus sighed. “What’s up?”

The older boy idly scratched his knee, trying to think of the best way to phrase his recent realization without having to explicitly say it. “I was wondering…what if you were right the first time?” There was a long pause during which Riku fidgeted, anxiety knotting his stomach. 

“…what? What’re you talking about?” 

Riku ground his teeth together, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose as he went about the distasteful task of admitting that he had a heart that wasn’t made of stone. “When you said–this isn’t one of those times when you pretend that you don’t know what I’m talking about so that when I say it you can record it and use it as blackmail?”

“Riku,” Tidus said with the voice of one amused by the antics of a small child, “darling.”

“Yes, asshat?” Riku asked in a snarky voice, already irritated.

“…have you been hanging out with Roxas?”

“What gave that away?”

“…moving on, I was trying to tell you that my recorder died last year when you unkindly tossed it into the river,” Tidus finished, adding a dramatic sniff at the end. 

“Oh. Sorry,” Riku said, not sounding sorry at all. “My hand slipped.”

“Well, you can apologize by telling me whatever you were going to tell me before we got on the subject of blackmail and you not telling me things,” Tidus chirped, stifling a yawn. 

Riku sighed and wracked his mind once more for the words to tell Tidus while not giving him anything to use for future songs and subtle jokes. “What if you were right the first time about…about me and (Name) being–ah, fuck it.”

“No, go on! I’m curious, you know, and I’d like my curiosity to be whatever it’s called when you’re not curious anymore,” Tidus said with a snicker.

“You mean ‘dead’? Because I can arrange that, you know.”

“You’re avoiding the question,” Tidus sang, laughing madly. There was a moment of silence from Riku, a pop, and then the disconnected signal started to blare in Tidus’s ear. He winced and frowned; there was no way he was going back to sleep without confirming what Riku had been trying to say! He quickly dialed Riku’s number, tsking when it went to voicemail after two rings. He was screening, was he? Undaunted, the bliztball player redialed his friend’s number, turning on a lamp and humming as he waited. 

“What?” Riku snarled, finally picking up.

“So you **do** want to talk to me!” Tidus crowed gleefully.

“What the hell makes you think that?”

“If you wanted to avoid me that badly, you would’ve blocked me,” the blond explained. “ **Damn** , I’m good.”

“You’re ridiculous.” 

“Ridiculously clever!” Tidus corrected. “And because of my ridiculous ability to be clever, I’ve once again seduced–”

“Deduced.”

“–whatever, that you still haven’t finished what you were saying,” said Tidus, slamming his fist down on his blanket for emphasis.

“…I don’t feel like talking about it anymore,” Riku said, and Tidus had to resist the urge to try and strangle his friend through the phone,

“You know I’m never going to let this go, right? I’ll haunt you morning and night, 24/7 with weighted looks, knowing winks, and constant interrogation. Imagine: me always beside you and never shutting up,” the blond chirped.

“Fine. I’ll tell you,” Riku swiftly interjected, rolling his eyes in exasperation as Tidus continued to chatter for a while longer before fully registering what Riku had said.

“Spill it, bro beans!”

“What if you were right the first time about me and (Name) being good together?” Riku rushed out, feeling anxiety knot his stomach when he was greeted with silence.

“…I never said that.”

“What? Haven’t you been going on and on about it for the past couple weeks? You know, since (Name) first moved in, that’s all you’ve been talking about!” the older boy insisted.

Tidus furiously wracked his mind for any of the incidences his friend was referring to but came up blank. “All I remember is talking about how you should hook up–”

“Yeah! Exactly!”

“–so I can swipe her when you fuck it up. I definitely never said anything about the two of you being good together, but since we’re on the topic already, yes, the two of you would be good together,” Tidus sang. “…hello?”

“You honestly never said that?” Riku demanded, clutching his cellphone with white-knuckled hands.

“Yesssss, I’m sure,” Tidus drawled. “You see, if you weren’t such a tightass about me recording our conversations we wouldn’t have this issue!”

“…you honestly think that I’d willingly listen to three weeks worth of voice memos to verify whether you did or didn’t say something?” Riku asked in a flat voice, almost daring Tidus to say otherwise.

“Hey, man…you are into some weird–”

_Click._

Tidus let out a forlorn sigh. “...every damn time.” He tossed his phone onto the dresser and lay back in bed, yawning as he stretched. Snuggling into his sheets, he lazily felt around for his notebook and pen and, upon discovering them, pulled them up to eye level. Blearily, he flipped to a new page and started to write…

“You’re drooling on your on paper.” Tidus shot up, hand automatically wiping furiously at his mouth as he blinked the sleep from his eyes. 

“Whazhappening?” he asked, idly finger-combing his hair. 

You laughed and pointed at the offending damp spot. “You fell asleep.” Sighing, Tidus began to messily blot at his artwork with the hem of Roxas’s shirt. The drummer sent his friend a withering glare and Tidus promptly dropped the corner of the button-up he was holding, hands moving instead to protect his head as he waited for the impending hit. Roxas, perhaps satisfied by the fear-induced reaction he got, scoffed and turned back to his own work.

Sighing in relief, Tidus looked back at you and shrugged. “I had a long night, if you know what I mean,” he said, winking cheekily. 

“Just because we know what you mean, it doesn’t mean that we believe you, asshat,” Roxas retorted, smirking at his friend. 

“One day you’re going to regret all this abuse you’ve been giving me,” Tidus said with a haughty sniff. “Like…oh, I don’t know, right now when I refuse to give you this lovely piece of music that I spent all last night writing.” To emphasize his point he pulled out a small stack of sheet music, waving it in Roxas’s face.

“And that’s when you’ll remember that you can’t play the drums, don’t know anybody else that can play the drums, and you’ll be forced to give it to me,” Roxas replied in a deadpan voice. “Not to mention that I’m the one that wrote that so I already have it.”

“I can ask your brother to play!” Tidus said after a moment of thought and Roxas rolled his eyes.

“First off, Cloud scares you–”

“He does not! …much, anyways.”

“–and you’d rather die than ask a person from Axel’s band to play with you,” Roxas finished and Tidus pouted. 

“You don’t know that,” he said sulkily.

“You’re not that hard to figure out.” Tidus sputtered before whipping his head around to look at you, pleading in his eyes.

“That’s not true, right?” he asked insistently, and you coughed awkwardly, trying to think of something to say.

“Well…you’re…” you trailed off and then shrugged. “I’m probably not the best person to ask this.” 

“C’mon, I bet Sora and Riku don’t think that!” Tidus said, refusing to drop the matter. You laughed a little, but not unkindly.

“I don’t think this is something you want to bring up–”

“No,” Tidus said solemnly “it is. I’m determined to prove that this is the 0.01% time that Roxas is wrong.” He looked down at his artwork and continued to draw, acting unusually serious. After he finished his drawing, he stood to hand it in, leaving you and Roxas alone at the table. You were worrying your lip as you glanced at him, meeting his gaze.

“This is going to end badly for him, isn’t it?” you asked, the apprehension in your voice obvious. He smirked.

~*~

Perhaps it was luck that had to do with it, but Tidus never got the chance to ask Sora and Riku for the rest of the week, the former busy with the fundraisers that kept popping up at school, the latter constantly being dragged around by Kairi, and enduring the various group projects and assignments that his teachers had decided to pile on. Saturday dawned cloudy and gray, a muted scene that seemed to drain instead of give energy, so it was confusion that Sora and Roxas received when they walked into Riku’s garage positively beaming (though admittedly it was more Sora than Roxas).

“We have a job!” the brunet declared, setting down his guitar as Roxas walked to the back of the garage.

“It’s at the Highwind,” Roxas added on, sitting on his stool and twirling around on it. The other two boys stared blankly at the twins, Tidus’s mouth partially open as he struggled to fully comprehend what he’d just been told.

“…and by ‘job’ are you referring to a mafia assignation? Because as much as I’d like to whip out the old BB gun, I’m afraid that killing in a public place will make our getaway that much harder,” Tidus blurted out.

“…you would think of that right away,” Riku said with a roll of his eyes, standing and stretching. You laughed a little, your giggles swiftly being replaced by a yawn.

“‘Gig’ sounds funny,” Sora said, pouting a little at the less-than enthusiastic response to his announcement. 

“Tidus is also an idiot,” Roxas snorted. 

“A gig! Excellent!” Tidus said eyes gleaming as he conveniently ignored Roxas. “When is it?” he asked excitedly, fingers drumming on the body of his guitar. 

“About a month from now,” Sora said with a grin. “We’re playing at the Halloween party.” Riku sighed.

“Great. Another dance,” he said in a flat voice.

“Regardless, a job is a job is a job is practise time,” Tidus said, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. “So, gents, how about we start playing my lovely little tune?” he asked with a toothy grin.

Riku arched an eyebrow. “ **Your** lovely little tune?” he asked, slowly, almost as if he was giving Tidus a chance to correct his mistake. The blitzballer stared blankly at the older boy. “You mean Roxas’s, right?”

“Let’s look at it this way,” Tidus said, the smile on his face reminiscent of an adult explaining something to a very young child. “In this band, I’m the–”

“Idiot of the group?” Roxas suggested, smirking.

“I was going to say the Brains,” the blond singer grumbled, lower lip jutting outwards.

“No…that’s Roxas,” Riku drawled, idly strumming the strings of his bass. “He writes pretty much all of our songs, and strings together the mess of ideas that you have for lyrics.”

“Then the Poster Child!” Tidus exclaimed, grin back full force.

“That’d be him,” Roxas said, jerking a thumb at the ‘tall, silver, and handsome’ bassist.

“How do you know?” Tidus squawked, indignant.

“Between you and Riku who has more groupies?” Roxas snorted. Tidus’s pout returned.

“Fine. Then how about group motivator? You know, constant support an’ all that?”

“Unless your name is (Name), no way,” Roxas stated bluntly. Tidus glanced at you — you shrugged apologetically — before sighing and turning back to his friends. 

“Manager?” Tidus asked. He was met with blank stares.

“We have things to manage?” Sora asked, clueless, scratching his head.

“You know, organizing shows and figuring out how to advertise, and just about being the only reason that this band is still alive!” Tidus explained. 

“So, like how we’re playing at the Highwind?” Sora asked, blue eyes flicking over to confirm with his twin.

“Exactly!” Tidus crowed, triumphant until a drumstick smacked the back of his head.

“Sora did that, dipshit,” Roxas answered, catching the drumstick that Sora threw back to him. Tidus opened and closed his mouth uselessly.

“Face it. Band Idiot suits you best,” Riku said with a barely suppressed snicker. “It’s like you were born for it.” 

“Right. Because that’s the title that I want,” Tidus muttered, frowning. 

“Well, on the bright side, you’re still the lead singer?” you offered, trying your best to cheer him up. Sora tilted his head to the side.

“But that’s because Roxas didn’t want to give up the drums–” You quickly ran over and clapped a hand over his mouth. Tidus, either ridiculously oblivious, or simply choosing to ignore the rather blatant act of shutting up that had just occurred, nodded slowly, beginning to brighten up.

“Hey…hey, that’s right!” he exclaimed and pumped a fist in the air. “With that said, gentlemen, the lead singer declares that we begin rehearsal!”

Riku caught your eye and smirked while mouthing, “Nice save”. You grinned back and, dropping your hand from Sora’s mouth, curtseyed before making your way back to the entrance of the garage. 

“I take it you’ve all received the music that…” Tidus paused, and heaved a sigh, “Roxas wrote and rehearsed it during the week?” Without bothering to wait for an answer, he cleared his throat and continued. “Right-o then, mates. Let’s get cracking.” The boys worked diligently for the next hour, piecing together the melodies and altering any parts that didn’t work well when played together. 

After another hour and a half of rehearsing Sora abruptly stopped playing. Tidus turned to look back at him, Riku’s eyes unglazed, you looked up from your book, and Roxas stopped switching between ends of his drumsticks while playing. 

“Can we play the whole thing through for once? Without stopping? Please?” the brunet asked, dropping wearily to the floor, careful of his guitar. Tidus ‘tsk’ed and rolled his eyes.

“I suppose as the manager of this band, the lead singer can allow you this break,” he said. He faced his microphone once more, and Roxas scoffed and looked at you, arching an eyebrow. _This is your fault._

You shrugged, a sheepish half smile on your face: Tidus tapped the microphone, mumbling, “Testing, testing, one two, red blue” before he noticed the withering glares he was getting. Clearing his throat, he announced, “What If You Were Right the First Time, full run, number one.”

“If you don’t shut up now, I’m going to stab you with a drumstick,” Roxas snarled.

Tidus paled and quickly counted, “One two three four!” The boys jumped into the melody, Tidus eventually starting to sing, his voice unusually dark; the change in his usually upbeat and (you mentally apologized to him) bubbly tone was fortified by Roxas singing along, and Riku playing a steady bass melody underneath, punctuated solely by Roxas on his drums. 

“ _Betwixt and between the fantastic dream and the fear you wonder where she is this afternoon._ ” Tidus flashed a smile at you, perhaps detecting the startled look on your face as you listened, and you managed a half-grin in return. “ _And does it get on your nerves make you slightly perturbed that there’s things you don’t know about her? And even the places that you’ve never been with her feel awful empty without her._ ”

There was a brief interlude as the boys repeated the opening melody, and then Tidus broke off into a solo as he sang, “ _You can’t look into those eyes. Down no telephone line, what if you were right the first time?_ ” He cast a sly glance out the corner of his eyes and suppressed a maniacal cackle when he saw the flush on Riku’s cheeks. It was with great enthusiasm that he repeated his words, making sure to enunciate every one. “ _You can’t look into those eyes. Down no telephone line, what if you were right the first time?_ ” The boys continued to play, the melody slowly rising, building to a crescendo and then launching into an energetic bridge, the melody coming from Tidus’s guitar dominating. 

The blitzballer moved back to his microphone, eyes closed as he sang, his face uncharacteristically serious. “ _Betwixt and between the fantastic dream and the fear you wonder where she is this afternoon. And with the needle in groove, is there all there to prove and then tell me are your feet still tapping? I know there’s a first for a trip over the water, but what is the worst that could happen?_

“ _You can’t look into those eyes. Down no telephone line, what if you were right the first time?_ ” He drawled out the last word, the end of the verse punctuated by the drums and guitar. They went through another round of the opening melody before abruptly cutting off. Tidus paused for a minute and then snapped his eyes open to stare at you expectantly. “What’d you think?” 

You smiled. “I think you guys get better every time I hear you.” He pretended to blush.

“Well, we owe it all to Riku, you know,” he chirped, clapping a hand on aforementioned boy’s arm. “If he didn’t have such fantastic material for us to exploit, well, where would we be today?”

“Not dead,” Riku growled, slamming a fist into Tidus’s side. As the blond rolled around on the ground, clutching his guitar to his chest, Roxas rolling his eyes at the antics before him, Sora chewed on his lip.

“I’m confused,” he blurted out suddenly. Tidus ceased his drama.

“It was a pretty straightforward song,” Roxas said dryly. Sora’s mouth curled into a frown as he mock-glared at his twin (as best he could), and continued.

“I thought the song we were practising was about dancing? And something about Tidus’s ‘fantastically brilliant piece of mind-vomit that could change the course of history and dances and shoes for all time’.” Noticing the incredulous (and bewildered) looks he was getting, he flushed a little and shrugged. “Tidus’s words.”

“Ah…but, young grasshopper, sensei say the boy must wait until song is done being edited by the master before playing,” Tidus said, tapping the side of his nose as he smiled smugly. His victory was short-lived as Riku pressed a foot to the back of his head and bowed him over so his nose nearly touched the garage floor.

“And by master who do you mean?” the older boy asked innocently, arms crossed as he ignored the string of ‘ow’s. 

“Roxas! I mean Roxas!” Tidus wailed. Roxas snickered.

“Nice to know you know your place,” he said with a smirk. Riku finally released his victim. Tidus grumbled as he stood, dusting himself off as he looked at you.

“This is what I endure. Abuse. Every day. I should call Kids Help Line! I should be calling it every night!” You laughed, shaking your head.

“Well, they don’t mean any harm,” you said with a smile, and then paused. “…I think.” And right at that moment, Riku and Roxas, who had been relatively quiet during that exchange, motioned Tidus over.

“We’ve got something for you,” Riku said, a feline grin on his lips. They dragged their lead vocalist over and taped a sign proclaiming “Band Idiot” onto his shirt. 

“Aw, come on, guys…don’t be that mean,” Sora said, smiling despite himself.

“Thank you!” Tidus said mustering what was left of his dignity. He turned to face his harassers, fueled by the small display of kindness he’d received. “If someone as slow as Sora says it’s bad, it's **bad**.” Sora’s eyes narrowed, a calculating look appearing on his face that was distinctly out of character. Meeting the eyes of his twin and best friend, he shrugged.

“Changed my mind,” he said with a snicker and pounced at the unsuspecting ‘band leader’, snatching the permanent marker out of Riku’s hand.

It's sad to say that even as quickly as you managed to pry them apart…Tidus still had a drawing of a penis on his face for the rest of the day.


	7. Dancing Shoes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Link to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aQELo7tXyI  
> 

“This school has too many dances.” Roxas pushed the drooping corner of a banner out of his face, ignoring the indignant yell of the person hanging it.

“Blame Mr. Chase,” Sora replied absentmindedly, scratching his head as he tapped away on his phone. “He’s the one that plans them. Have you seen the faculty social committee board? Head of operations? Chase. Treasurer? Chase. Student-teacher liaison? Chase.”

“He’s living his high school dreams through us. Bet he goes home, puts on his prom tux and slow dances with a blow-up doll at night,” Tidus snickered, tossing the blitzball up in the air.

“I didn’t need that mental image,” you grumbled, desperately trying to erase the picture from your mind as you neatly sidestepped two students carrying a ladder. “At least you guys get to play at it?” Tidus abruptly stopped and turned on his heels to face you, pointing a finger at your nose. You struggled to keep your eyes from crossing as he waved it back and forth in front of you, each movement punctuating his words.

“Let’s get this straight. High school dances are like…two steps below playing wedding receptions and Bat Mitzvahs. Bands that play high school dances are sad, sorry, and usually shit. We’re none of those three, right?” He paused for effect, looking pointedly over his shoulder at the other two boys. Sora mumbled something incoherent as he continued to furiously text, and Roxas rolled his eyes. 

“Of course not,” you hastily said, trying your best to sound as sincere as possible. “You guys are actually…pretty good. It’s just bad luck that you guys live, well. Here.” You gestured feebly at your surroundings. Destiny Islands, despite its grandiose name, was a fairly close-knit community. It housed the high school and downtown on the mainland, and was dotted with a series of smaller islands a short boat ride away from the main beach. It paled in comparison to the much larger, bustling city of Hollow Bastion, which was undisputedly the central hub to the municipality.

“Which is why you gotta do what you gotta do,” Tidus said resolutely, grimacing as he tugged on his school tie. “And that’s why we’re going to spend three hours serenading the horny teens here and go down in history as the band that made the baby boom of year.”

“Gross, dude.” Sora wrinkled his nose. “Nobody wants that.”

“We can sell condoms with ‘Kingdom Hearts’ printed on them. Really boost merch sales,” Tidus mused, a gleam in his eye.

“We don’t have any merch,” Roxas reminded him, punching him none too gently in the shoulder. “Nobody listens to us, and we’re broke, asshat.” Ignoring Tidus’s pained whining, he scanned the main entrance impatiently. “Where’s Riku anyway?”

As if summoned by some unknown force, the older boy rounded the corner, shoulders tense. He was walking uncomfortably close to the lockers, almost pinned up against them by Kairi who was chattering incessantly in his ear, her fingers flipping her hair over her shoulder as she batted her eyes at him and lightly touched his arm. You saw Sora glance at you from the corner of your eye and you resolutely stared ahead, taking in the scene before you as you carefully kept your face neutral.

“ – And I mean, you owe me anyway. Since you ditched me last time,” Kairi cooed, placing her hand on Riku’s elbow as she tried to move even closer to him. She gave him a sweet smile and then, as if noticing for the first time there was company, her smile fell. “Oh. Hi.”

“Yeah, nice to see you too,” Roxas snorted, glaring icily at her. She rolled her eyes and tightened her grip on Riku’s arm.

“Anyway…what do you say? Go to the dance with me? I’m way more fun.” She carefully manoeuvred her body in front of yours, nudging you none too gently out of the circle. Your eyes wide with disbelief, you could feel the heat rising in your cheeks as your annoyance began to grow. Roxas opened his mouth to not so kindly tell her to go away when you interjected.

“Actually, I was planning on asking him if he wanted to go with me.” Four pairs of eyes stared at you, and your blush turned to one of embarrassment. “I mean. Why break tradition?” You let your eyes slide over to meet Riku’s, wishing desperately in the back of your mind that you knew what he was thinking. The seconds passed like hours as you waited for him to reply. What if he said no? Oh god, what if he said yes just because she was there and then blew you off later? What if – 

“Yeah. Cool.” He smiled, nonchalantly pulling his arm from Kairi’s grasping hands as he pushed his hair back. “I’m down.” Kairi’s mouth gaped open slightly her eyes narrowing as she slowly pressed her lips together in a thin line. Without another word she shouldered her way through your group and stalked towards the front door, disappearing in the warm sunlight.

“Amazing. You’re amazing,” Tidus crowed, slinging an arm around your shoulders as he ruffled your hair. “I mean she hates you, but you’re amazing. You’re probably the only thing keeping the devil woman away from us right now, since somebody wants us to ‘forgive and forget’.” He cast a pointed look in Sora’s direction, who was ripping his eyes away from the direction she had gone. He helplessly raised his hands.

“Hey, it is what it is.” He half-smiled, but quickly looked away when he caught your eye, seeing the knowing look you were giving him. “Come on. Let’s go home. I’m starving.” He began speedily marching off, leaving the rest of you to hurry after him.

~*~

“You think he’s going to be okay?” You stopped waving goodbye to the twins and lowered your hand, worry written all over your face as you looked up at Riku. He glanced at you, startled, before shrugging.

“It’s Sora. He’s got too much love to give and thinks everyone’s like that. He’ll get it one day. It’s gonna suck ass when he does, though.” 

“Still. It sucks that she’s going after you. I mean, you’re his best friend,” you tacked on hastily.

“You jealous?” he asked, baiting you into wildly backtracking as he watched on with amusement, his face slowly sobering as you rambled on. He hesitated for a second, his eyes searching your own as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “So. You’re taking me to the dance.” 

Your mouth snapped shut at the interruption. For the second time in the past half hour you felt your cheeks grow warm again as you stared up at him, fighting the urge to look down at the sidewalk. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“I didn’t say that.” He could feel a smile tugging at his lips as a slow warmth curled in his stomach. You worried your lip between your teeth as you waited for him to continue. “I like hanging out with you.” His eyes drifted down to your mouth as he watched your lower lip pop out. 

“Two dances together. People are going to start talking,” you joked, slightly shifting to the side when you realized where his gaze was trained. He flicked his eyes back up to yours and your breath caught in your throat, your mouth growing dry as you registered the look in his eyes. Three seconds felt like three years. Then Riku reached out and placed a gentle hand on your wrist, tugging you forward a little so you were toe to toe, your shirts brushing against each other. His gaze made a tingle run up your spine as your heartbeat quickened; you felt his fingers slide up towards your elbow as he slowly dipped his head down towards yours. 

“Hey!” Just like that, the moment was gone. You almost tripped trying to back away from Riku, your hand slipping through his grasp. Hiro stood in the doorway of your home, arms crossed. Even with the distance you could see his eyes were narrowed as they bore into the back of Riku’s head.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” you murmured, unable to look the boy in the eye. Hoisting your backpack higher onto your shoulders you walked to the door, brushing past your older brother.

“I don’t know how I feel about this,” Hiro said, closing the front door. You kicked off your shoes, a bit angrier than you should have, and met his gaze.

“You don’t even know him.”

“Neither do you.” He pushed your shoes out of the middle of the foyer with his foot. 

“Look, Hiro–”

“Remember why we moved,” he said bluntly, cutting you off. “You’d think after that you’d be done with boys.” He started to leave, clearly not keen on giving you a chance to reply. 

You raced after him, fuming. “What’s your problem? Why are you bringing that up?” He shrugged as he walked up the stairs. “Hiro!”

He looked at you as he stepped into his room, a frown on his face. “Don’t make the same mistake twice.” He closed the door.

When you woke the next morning you found yourself hard pressed to get out of bed. Half an hour ticked by as you stared up at the ceiling, still mulling over the events from last night. Part of you wondered if Hiro hadn’t been there, what would have happened? You happily delved into those fantasies repeatedly, ignoring the sinking feeling that Hiro had been watching you for a reason. You grumbled and buried yourself deeper into your duvet, brow furrowed. After a few more minutes of tossing and turning, you flung the covers off and walked out of your room. Glancing to your right you saw the door to your brother’s room ajar, the cool breeze from the open window circling through the empty room and into the hallway.

“Remember why we moved. Asshole,” you muttered to yourself as you walked to the bathroom. Once you made your way downstairs to the kitchen, you hummed as you popped open the fridge to snag breakfast. Spooning parfait into your mouth, you slipped out the door and wandered over to Riku’s, just as he was leaving. 

“Hey!” you said brightly, waving your spoon at him. He looked at you and grinned, slinging his bass onto his back. You nodded your head towards his garage. “Where is everyone?”

“Practice is at Sora’s today.” He gave you an apologetic look when he saw your face fall. “Something about needing to surprise you.” You half-smiled, trying to push the disappointment in you away.

“I guess I do know most of your songs,” you replied lightly, hiding your feelings behind your breakfast. 

“And this way you can’t distract us,” he teased. You whipped your head up faster than you would have liked, staring intently at Riku as if to confirm he’d said what he said. A faint blush spread across his cheeks when your eyes met, and he coughed awkwardly as he remembered the night before. The bright sunshine seemed to lay everything bare and he felt uncomfortably exposed as his eyes involuntarily searched for Hiro, who was undoubtedly hiding somewhere. “I should go.”

You started, not having realized the silence that stretched out between the two of you. Nodding, you smiled at him. “I’ll see you later.” You stepped forwards for a hug, and then paused when you noticed his arms still at his sides. He caught on a second too late and made to reciprocate, but you had already lowered your hands and averted your gaze. He wanted to punch himself in the face. Instead, he opted for half-heartedly squeezing your arm and mumbling, 

“Later.”

Several hours later found you at the mall, idly window-shopping in between people watching. As you wandered, you eventually made your way into a store, only half-paying attention as you looking through the clothing.

“Oh great. It’s you.” You rolled your eyes up to the ceiling and mouthed “why me?” wondering why an already bad day was intent on becoming worse. You spun on your heels and plastered a wide smile to your face as you crinkled your nose.

“Hi, Kairi,” you said sweetly, your fingers spasming around your phone. “Hi Naminé.” Naminé smiled apologetically in return as she fiddled with her nametag.

“Why are you here? The boys get sick of you already?” Kairi demanded, leaning against the cash desk as she looked at you. You shrugged, fuming, and turned your attention back to the pile of jeans in front of you. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. They will eventually.”

“Don’t you have anything better to do?” you shot back, looking at her. “I don’t know if you’re capable of fully understanding this, but incredibly they didn’t like you before I showed up.” Kairi scoffed and tapped her fingers against the glass surface as Naminé watched the two of you nervously, the fiddling turning to anxious tugging. 

“But that’s the best part,” Kairi said, pushing herself off the counter and slowly walking towards you. She stopped and placed a hand on her hip, cocking it to the side as she returned your incredibly fake smile from before. She leaned in, her blue eyes sparking with challenge. “I was here first.” Her smile turned cruel when you failed to respond. 

“What, you thought you were special? That only you got the inside scoop and the rest of us have been outsiders until now? I grew up with them. I dated two of them. And I got to know them pretty well.” She giggled short and derisive before sweeping past you, leaving with one last parting shot. “Especially Riku.” 

You felt your stomach drop as you heard the words, mentally kicking yourself for being so naïve. For some reason it had never occurred to you that there had been any sort of camaraderie between Kairi and the boys you’d grown so fond of. In your mind the years she’d spent with them were a blank, easily skipped space –their story began with the end of the relationship to hatred without any pause in between. 

“Are you okay?” You quickly unfurrowed your brow and flashed a tight smile at Naminé, your words caught in your throat. “Speaking of the boys, though…how are they?” she asked casually. 

“You mean how is Roxas?” you asked pointedly, arching an eyebrow. She shrugged, embarrassed, her eyes full of hope as she waited for your reply. Unfortunately for her, you weren’t in the mood. “Why are you so interested? You’re the one that broke up with him.”

“I’m allowed to ask about him,” she retorted, frowning.

“Not if he doesn’t want you to,” you snapped back. “If you actually cared, you’d leave him alone instead of trying to force your way into his life when he doesn’t want you in it.” Without waiting for a reply you walked away, still fuming. It was with a decidedly angry mindset that you made your way home, and Riku found you sitting on the porch with a glass of juice, your lips curved into a deep frown as you stared daggers into your front lawn.

“Bad day?” You started, and quietly watched him walk over to sit beside you. “What happened?”

You heaved a sigh that seemed to come from your toes and let your head slump onto his shoulder. “I really, really don’t want to talk about it.”

“Hey, we were all young once,” he said, laughing quietly. You peeked up at him, smiling.

“I’m your age, dumbass.” He looked down at you, his eyebrows raised.

“Actually? Why’re you in Sora’s homeroom?” You quickly averted your gaze and sat up, lightly swirling your juice.

“Long story.” Silence reigned for a few minutes as both of you scrambled for something to say, but your cryptic response hung heavily in the air. “How was practice?” you asked abruptly, desperately trying to move the conversation along. If he gave you a long searching look, you pretended not to realize it. 

“The usual shit,” he said, shrugging, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Roxas ended up kicking Tidus’s ass again.” As he went on to relay the story, you let your eyes trace over his face, your gaze lingering just a half second longer than it should have on his mouth as you watched him speak. You couldn’t even begin to fathom the depths of your attraction to him and why you were so intent on being a part of his life. Even as you felt the inklings of something stirring inside of you, you were wary to explore it further. Hiro and Kairi were in the background of your mind, each clamouring for you to stop what you were doing. But the rest of you…the rest of you wanted to wrap yourself up in his arms, slide your hands through his hair, and kiss him like he’d never been kissed before. 

Something must have been written all over your face because he paused in the middle of his story. “What’s up?” 

Your heart was pounding in your chest as you reached out and touched a tentative hand to his forearm. If there was ever any moment to do it, it was now – before you lost your nerve. The surprise quickly faded from his eyes when he saw you leaning in, the anticipation thrumming in his veins when you stopped, your lips just shy of his. He looked at you searchingly for a moment, unseeing of the internal battle raging within your mind as he closed the gap and finally kissed you.

In his opinion, it was far too short. It was simple, sweet; a quick press of lips against lips that was the most glorious three seconds of his year so far. He cupped your face and kissed you again, gently, slowly, until you could feel every tingle running from the tip of your toes to the top of your head. When the two of you finally broke apart, your mouth was still slightly open as you tried to register what just happened, your body still humming.

“Usually the kiss comes at the end of the date,” you whispered, squeezing his arm. You could see the corners of his eyes crinkle as he smiled, the sea glass green making your heart stutter momentarily.

“You trying to tell me something?” You flushed and moved away, combing your fingers through your hair as you struggled to think of something witty in response. “I got the hint.” 

“What?”

“I’ll take you out. Without the idiots hanging around,” he added on. You blinked.

“You don’t have to–” you began to say, but your protest fell on deaf ears. Riku stood and tugged on your hair, smirking as he saw the shock on your face.

“Nah. I do. I’ll see you tomorrow at the dance.” With that parting remark he grabbed his bass and headed home, oblivious to the rising feeling of anxiety and excitement that was building inside you.

~*~

“Fuck me.”

“Ask nicely.”

Tidus turned and delivered a withering glare at Roxas, before resuming peeking through the curtains to the crowd before him. 

“Sit down, Tidus. You’re making me nervous,” Roxas said, tapping his drumsticks on his knees as he looked at the blitzballer. 

“You should be nervous, you heartless son of a bitch,” Tidus hissed back, stalking over to his friend as he pointed repeatedly and violently towards the large curtain separating them from their peers. “We’re about to play our first gig that isn’t just a bunch of shitty covers in front of people we gotta see on Monday!”

“What happened to ‘high school dances are like wedding receptions’?” Sora asked, his nose crinkling with confusion. “…that’s not right.”

“If it was a reception at least we’d be getting paid,” Roxas quipped. “Who cares what they think? When you’ve got douchebags like Seifer out there you could have Hendrix on stage and he still wouldn’t give a shit.” 

“Don’t tell Tidus he’s Hendrix or he won’t shut up about it.” Sora looked up and beamed, launching himself off his chair as he ran over to his best friend.

“Took you long enough,” he laughed, punching Riku in the shoulder before sweeping you into his arms and squeezing you tight. 

“What the hell, man? You tell Sora you’re showing up late, but you can’t tell me? What happened to us being best friends? Bros? Homies?” Tidus demanded, looking accusingly at the older boy. 

“He told me too,” Roxas chimed in, smirking as Tidus squawked indignantly. 

“You didn’t matter,” Riku said, pulling out his bass and quietly tuning it. 

“When I drag your sorry ass to fame and you start asking for a bigger cut I’m going to remind you about this,” Tidus grumbled. He quickly strode over to where you were talking with Sora in hushed voices, failing to notice the wide grin on the boy’s face and the knowing look he exchanged with Riku over Tidus’s shoulder.

“At least you’re nice to me,” Tidus sighed, feigning sadness as he tossed an arm around your shoulder. “And I’m sorry about Berlin Wall-ing you out of our practices, but a strict ‘no girls allowed’ had to be in effect. After tonight Riku is allowed to go back to stealing hearts and slaying pussy all he wants.” 

“Mr. Zarkanand, watch your language.” Tidus whipped around and immediately began to babble apologies, but Mr. Chase held up his hand, effectively silencing him. “You have five minutes, gentlemen.” 

A sudden silence fell as soon as he departed, the anticipation of the performance reaching a peak in each member of Kingdom Hearts. As the boys began to gather themselves, doing their best to mentally prepare for what was to come you quietly stole away to where Riku was standing and quickly squeezed his hand in yours. 

“Break a leg,” you whispered with a small smile when he looked at you in surprise. His fingers curled briefly against yours and then you were gone.

On the other side of the curtain the auditorium was almost entirely full, students talking amongst themselves as they waited for the music to begin. True to form Seifer was loudly asking where the DJ was and if he took song requests, as Selphie and Olette giggled, batting their lashes at him. As you wove your way through the crowd you couldn’t help but feel like an outsider as you felt the eyes following after you. The loneliness began to set in when you slowly realized that the closest and possibly only friends you’d made so far weren’t beside you. Unbidden, Kairi’s mocking words from earlier began to ring through your head as you remembered that there was a life, a friendship, and a bond that these boys shared that existed prior to you. A life that involved all of the people around you – people you didn’t even know. In the grand scheme of things you were simply an intruder that happened to stumble into the world they had created. How long did you expect this to go on?

You were pulled from your thoughts as a few people around you began to cheer, scattered wolf whistles piercing the air. You quickly pulled out your phone and pushed your way to the front of the crowd.

“Hello, Destiny High.” A laugh rippled through the crowd, and Tidus cringed at the mockery of his well-worn opener. “We’re Kingdom Hearts, and we hope that you’ll…” He trailed off, quickly glancing back at the boys behind him. Gulping, and nodding at Sora, he wrapped his hands around the mic and–

“ _Get on your dancing shoes! There's one thing on your mind. Hoping they're looking for you…sure you'll be rummaging through._ ” He looked at you and winked, smiling when you stuck out your tongue at him, trying your best not to shake your phone as you nodded along to the music. “ _And the shit, shock, horror! You've seen your future bride. Oh, but it's oh so absurd for you to say the first word so you're waiting and waiting._ ” He cast a sidelong look at Riku who simply arched an eyebrow, his hands deftly moving across the strings as he flipped his hair out of his face. 

“ _The only reason that you came,_ ” Roxas chimed in, banging his head with each drumbeat, his face serious as he concentrated. “ _So, what you scared for? Don't you always do the same?_ ”

Tidus smoothly took over the vocals, dancing from side to side as he sang and played, a silly smile on his face. “ _It's what you’re there for, don't you know? The lights are flashing down in here tonight and some might exchange a glance, but keep pretending to dance_.” He began to do a strange shimmy up and down, the barely contained laugh bubbling up in his voice. His eyes flicked from you to your left and, catching on, you turned your head to see Kairi dancing with Naminé, her tongue sliding across her lower lip as she looked up at Riku. You followed her gaze up to the older boy and saw him give her a quick onceover before he turned away, looking towards the ground. Naminé was barely paying attention to the event transpiring beside her, instead trying to catch Roxas’s eye. Her pretty face was creased with hope as she kept darting her eyes over to look at him, one finger twirling a strand of hair. 

“ _Don't act like it's not happening as if it's impolite to go and mention your name. Instead you'll just do the same as they all do, and hope for the best!_ ” You felt your chest squeeze as you looked at Tidus once more, trying to hide your misgivings when you noticed him watching you. Unable to look him in the eye you looked past him at Roxas. Having apparently witnessed Naminé’s attempts, Roxas was just short of slamming his sticks into the skins, eyes flashing as he sang through gritted teeth.

“ _The only reason that you came. So, what you scared for? Well don't you always do the same?_ ”

“ _It's what you're there for but no!_ ” Tidus propped one foot up on an amp, his guitar wailing as he played it. Sora, caught up in the moment began jumping up and down, his laugh clearly audible over the music as it transformed into a loud “Whoop!” He turned around and smiled broadly at his twin, oblivious to everything that had transpired around him. Roxas finally cracked a smile and laughed along, his hands flashing through the air as the furrows in his brow smoothed out. Tidus began shaking his hips, dancing across the stage and wiggling around in front of Riku. To his credit Riku didn’t immediately stop playing and start punching the blitzballer, opting to aim a half-hearted kick in his direction instead. 

Dodging the attack, Tidus slid back towards the mic and crooned, “ _Get on your dancing shoes, you sexy little swine_ He pointed at you, blowing you a kiss. “ _Hoping they're looking for you. Sure you'll be rummaging through._ ”

“ _Oh and the shit, shock, horror!_ ” He emphasized each word with a jump, nearly tangling his foot in the cables criss-crossing the stage as he belted out, “ _You've seen your future bride, oh! But it's oh so absurd for you to say the first word, so you're waiting and waiting!_ ” 

All four boys slammed through the ending, Tidus dropping to his knees (melodramatic as always) and finishing with a flourish, his arm extended into the air. There was a split second of panic when he peeked out from under his hair at the silent crowd before him before a heartfelt cheer ripped through the small cafeteria turned dancehall. You laughed and cheered along, no longer concerned with the shaking frame that was sure to accompany the video you were recording as you switched the camera to take in the people behind you. 

~*~

Tidus sighed as he hoisted his guitar case up higher, slowly shuffling down the sidewalk. “I still can’t believe he cut us off.”

“I told you not to sing When the Sun Goes Down,” Sora scolded, scratching his nose. “Chase doesn’t care about artistic license when you’re singing about–”

“If The Police can do it, so can I,” Tidus interrupted firmly. When the tinny noise of applause reached his ears, his smile nearly split his face in two. “Reliving our finest moment?” Roxas rolled his eyes and handed you back your phone.

“Shut up,” he said in a flat voice. “Can you send me this?” he asked you, his eyes lighting up when you nodded. “I wanna send it to Cloud. He taught me how to play the drums.” His voice was filled with pride as he twirled the drumsticks in his hand.

“Too bad he’s playing for a shit band now,” Tidus sang, yelping when Roxas’s foot caught the back of his knee. “Okay fine! Just for a shit singer. Better?” Roxas shrugged and kicked Tidus again. 

By the time you and Riku made it home, your eyes were fighting to stay open. Kicking off your shoes as you walked across the lawn, you relished the feeling of the grass beneath your feet.

“What’re you doing tomorrow?” The question startled you out of your stupor and you blinked sleepily at him. His hands were buried in his pockets again, and you felt faintly amused that he was so nervous.

“You really are asking me out, huh?” you teased, your hand rubbing the back of your neck. 

“Easy, or I’ll take it back,” he shot back, his trademark smirk on as he slowly walked backwards towards his house, never looking away from you. “After school cool?” When you nodded the smile turned softer. “Don’t worry. I’ll treat you right.” Then he opened his door and was gone. You tilted your face up towards the night sky and smiled, resisting the urge to twirl on the spot, giddy with joy.

Light spread across your face and you looked to your house to see Hiroshi, once more foreboding and unreadable in the doorway. Your heart refused to endure any more jibes and snide comments, and it was with brazen confidence and brashness that you marched past him, not even deigning him with a look as you said, “Not a word.”

~*~

Cloud grinned as the video finished, tapping the play button again as he slouched deeper into the couch.

“It’s too early for that shit,” a voice groaned from the other couch. A hand slowly poked out from under the pile of blankets, fumbling around before grabbing onto another pillow and mashing it against a pair of ears. 

“Then go home,” Cloud replied evenly, kicking his feet up on his coffee table as he watched his little brothers holler exuberantly on stage. The pillow came flying towards him, and he deftly swatted it away. When the song came to an end he hit the replay button once more – and the pile of blankets shifted, and then fell to the ground as the person underneath pulled himself into a sitting position.

“I feel like shit.”

“You look like shit.”

Cloud angled his phone as the other occupant in the living room flopped beside him, yawning loudly. One bleary green eye half-watched the video, the other resolutely shut to still cling onto any semblance of sleep. It only snapped open when the song ended, the recorded applause accompanied with an image of the crowd cheering as you laughed, holding your phone at arms length to capture the moment. When the clip finished, the last frame your beaming face, Axel snatched the phone from Cloud’s hand for a closer look. Cloud elbowed his friend and grabbed it back, locking it and tossing it on the coffee table.

“You planning on going home any time soon?” Axel asked abruptly, absently scratching his stomach. 

Cloud smirked. “Probably next weekend.”

“I just haven’t seen your fam in a while and I figured I’d visit with you.”

“Yeah. Sure. You’re tagging along because you want to see them,” Cloud said, sarcasm dripping from every word. “I bet Riku will be psyched to see you.” 

Axel grinned.


	8. Teddy Picker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyxrI28nkZc
> 
> Do I know why they say "dying" live both times instead of "gagging" and then "dying"? Nope. Oh well.

“Cloud is home this weekend.” The message, though poorly delivered through Sora’s sandwich filled mouth, was enough to cause a lull in the current conversation.

“That’s your older brother, right?” you asked, pointing your spoon at Roxas as he nodded in affirmation. You hummed thoughtfully, stirring your yogurt.

“He hasn’t been home since uni started and mom’s been cheesed. Bet he’ll get the silent treatment for a solid thirty minutes before she caves and makes him enough food to feed a small nation,” Roxas said with a smirk as he elbowed Sora. His twin was furiously texting back when he paused, his shoulders tensing. Roxas’s eyes narrowed. “What?” he asked, craning his neck to look at the small screen.

Sora’s eyes flicked up to glance at Riku. “Axel is coming too.” 

The older boy casually cracked his neck. “Who cares.”

“Yeah FUCK that guy. Who cares?” Tidus grumbled, aggressively shoving more chips into his mouth. A hand reached out and smacked the back of his head, and your nose wrinkled as crumbs sprayed across the lunch table.

“Nobody cares about you either,” Kairi said with a frown as she cocked her hip. “Roxas, are you coming over this weekend?” she asked sweetly, tucking her hair behind her ears. He looked thoughtfully at her.

“You gonna be there?”

“Yeah, probably–”

“Then no,” he said with a smirk triumphantly meeting her shocked eyes.

“You know you don’t have to be such an asshole all the time,” she replied haughtily, spinning on her heel and stalking away.

“I’m confused. Who’s Axel?” you asked.

“He’s an asshole. Nobody likes him,” Tidus grumbled again, emptying the rest of his chips into his mouth as Sora looked on in disgust. 

“He’s Roxas’s best friend and Kairi’s older brother,” the guitarist said, gingerly pushing wayward chip crumbs back towards Tidus. “He’s not that bad.”

“You’re only saying that because you guys grew up together and you dated his little sister. And you–” Tidus pointed dramatically at Roxas, “–are a sick fuck and so is he and that’s the only reason you get along. Riku doesn’t like him either.”

You glanced at Riku and arched an eyebrow. “Do I want to ask why or…?” 

The older boy shrugged. “He’s an asshole. Sorry,” he tacked on, nodding in the twins’ direction. 

“I mean he’s so bad we even wrote a song about him. Do you know how many people we write songs about?” Tidus continued, standing and placing an elbow on Riku’s head.

“We write songs about everyone,” Riku answered, shoving the errant arm off. 

“Not this again,” Sora whined, gently banging his head against the table. “I finally write something I like and then you sang about Axel being an asshole over top of it. You even made us record it. The one time Cloud let us use his equipment and that’s what you went for.”

“Yeah that’s also the reason why it was the last time he helped us,” Roxas added, throwing his napkin at the blitzballer. 

“We have to write a new one. A better one. Axel the Asshole: the sequel. The asshole-ing,” Tidus declared, blatantly ignoring his friends. “And he’s back this weekend so we better hustle. Rehearsal tonight!”

“No way,” Riku said flatly, pushing Tidus off the bench. 

“But think about how sick it’d be if we’re playing it right as he rolls in Saturday–”

“I’m busy.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Same.”

Tidus wilted and looked plaintively at you, trying his best to pull off puppy dog eyes as his mouth opened; Riku quickly cut him off.

“She’s busy too.” 

In that instant Tidus’s expression morphed abruptly from melancholy to mischief as his waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Oh? And how do you know thiiiiiiis?” 

“Shut up.”

Sora’s jaw dropped midchew. Roxas’s eyebrows shot up so fast you almost missed them disappearing under his hair as he smirked. “Wait. You finally asked her out`?” Riku could feel the telltale spread of warmth across his cheeks and for the hundredth time that day had to resist the urge to kill his friends. 

“Where’s he taking you?!” Sora squawked. Slamming his hands on the table as he all but pressed his nose up against yours. You nearly tipped backwards off your seat as your eyes widened. Riku quickly reached out and grabbed you, ignoring the huge grin that nearly split TIdus’s face in two. 

“I don’t know??” you replied, alarmed by the fire alight in the guitarist’s eyes. “We literally just decided this yesterday!” 

Sora whipped his head so fast to look at Riku that you heard an audible crack. “Don’t fuck this up.”

Riku opened his mouth to reply, but the bell cut him off. Before he could say a word the three boys had already packed up their things, grabbed you, and were halfway across the cafeteria, Sora waving energetically as Tidus and Roxas whispered furiously in your ear. The older boy sighed and balled up his garbage, throwing it in the trash as he did his best not to wonder what they were telling you. 

He spent the rest of the day deep in thought and staring out the window, missing all of Kairi’s sidelong glances and the steady deepening of her frown when she failed to catch his eye. When the bell finally rang he flipped his decidedly empty notebook closed and shoved it in his bag, intent on rescuing you from his conniving friends’ clasp as soon as he could, but a hand on his desk stopped him.

“Hey.” His eyes trailed up the accompanying arm to land on Kairi’s ocean blue eyes, crinkled slightly as she smiled at him. “You seemed pretty distracted all afternoon. Want to talk about it?” she asked, trailing a finger across the desk and towards him. There was a brief pause as Riku considered deigning her with an answer, but he decided against it and instead began walking past her without another word. He made it about two steps when her voice stopped him.

“Come on, Riku. How much longer are you going to be mad at me?” He turned to look at her, her arms akimbo and brow furrowed as the afternoon sun lit up the window behind her. For a second he remembered what drew him to her in the first place: her girlish charm only looked lovelier than usual where she stood. “What do I have to do? Beg for your forgiveness?” 

His eyes narrowed. “You could say ‘sorry’, you know. To me and Sora. Rox too.” He gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling, wondering if the drummer would even let Kairi get the words out before insulting her. When he finally looked back at her she looked like she’d just been slapped, and he gave her a dry smile. “What, you don’t think you did anything wrong? There’s a reason we don’t talk to you anymore, Kai.” Hoisting his bag up higher on his shoulder he turned and headed out of the classroom.

His phone chimed suddenly and he quickly pulled it from his pocket, baffled (albeit not at all surprised) by the slew of notifications that covered the screen; the majority of them were from Tidus across various messaging platforms and each was more obnoxious than the last. 

“Fucking finally!” Tidus yelled when Riku stepped out the front doors, his phone held aloft. “Did you forget how to text back or what?”

“Ready to go?” RIku asked, wrapped a hand around your wrist and pulling you away from his friends without waiting for a response. You turned and said a hasty goodbye to the boys, ignoring the knowing smiles plastered across all three faces. 

“Where are we going?” you finally managed to spit out, unable to resist the urge to stare at his hand. Noticing your gaze he quickly ceased contact and tugged at his tie. 

“There’s a place we used to go when we were kids. I just gotta grab something before we go,” he replied, turning to go back inside a side entrance, away from the lingering stares and catcalls that his ‘friends’ were sure to provide. In that split second you took a deep breath, made up your mind, and quickly walked after him, slipping your hand inside his. 

“Okay then. Let’s go.” The surprise in his eyes quickly faded into amusement and he matched your grin, his gaze softening.

“Yeah.”

By the time the two of you made it to the docks, Tidus had sent both of you at least forty messages, and Riku’s left eye was twitching. He carefully stowed the freezer bag he’d retrieved into the boat and helped you in, scoffing when his phone buzzed again. 

“That’s it.” He turned it off and, noticing your amusement, gave you a half smile. “You don’t have to.”

You pursed your lips and stared at your phone as Tidus rapid-fire texted you five times. “I think I do.” With that both your phones were stowed in the bag, and Riku began to row. Before long the boat bumped up against the shore and the two of you disembarked. 

“You know, I’ve been here two months now and this is the first time I’ve come to this island,” you mused breathing deeply. Riku chuckled and gently tapped his fist against your forehead.

“Don’t be a dork. Come on.” He shouldered the bag and offered you his hand. You felt your stomach flip when you intertwined your fingers, but quickly did your best to dismiss your feelings. The banter between you flowed steadily as you walked, hand in hand, you occasionally bumping your shoulder against him as you teased. Eventually he led you up a set of stairs and began guiding you towards the paopu tree. He quickly climbed on and after making sure you were okay, began unpacking the contents of the bag.

You arched and eyebrow. “Dinner and a view, huh?” He playfully rolled his eyes and continued with his task. As you waited you looked out onto the ocean and smiled, taking a deep breath. It was undeniably the sweetest thing anybody had done for you by far. All your fears from the night before grew fainter as you began to cherish the simple fact that this small group of friends had opened their arms and invited you into their lives. Kairi’s voice faded, Hiro’s looks vanished, and for a few blissful hours filled with conversation and food you lived in the moment. 

Riku told you about the time he ran away with Sora when he was three, and in response you told him the story about the tiny scar on your forehead. The memories quickly flew by as the two of you spoke, as if there was an unspoken promise to fill each other in on the years spent apart and bridge some sort of invisible gap. As you drew closer to your more recent years your stories slowed, your voice grew hesitant, and your shoulders drew tight. Riku, noticing you reflexively crossing your arms over your chest, nudged you with his foot until you looked at him.

“You don’t have to share if you don’t want to.”

“No. I do, it’s just hard,” you said with a sigh, squeezing your arms around your body a little more. The intense blanket of shame that draped itself across your shoulders was heavy and persistent. You were convinced at this very moment you were cloaked in a thick fog, tendrils of smoke curling up into your nostrils and clogging your throat, making it hard to force the words out. Thinking that way at least made it easier to explain away your hesitation, explain away the waves of nausea and the warm prickle of embarrassment. You took a deep breath. 

“Let’s just say that I wasn’t a good person. I did some things I’m not proud of and I hurt a lot of people, including my family.” You paused, your voice caught in your throat once more as you tried to fight back the onslaught of tears. “I’m the reason we ended up moving out here.”

Riku could feel the panic building inside as he watched you struggle to keep from crying, unsure of how to comfort you. Instinct told him to wrap you in his arms, but the seconds steadily ticked by as he debated and his chance was lost as you curled in on yourself. He opted instead for awkwardly squeezing your arm, his other hand proffering a napkin. “That’s rough.”

You gave a watery laugh as you dabbed at your eyes. “Pretty fucking rough.” Clearing your throat, you turned your head to avoid his gaze, staring out across the ocean. “It’s getting pretty late.” 

Riku began packing up, silently acquiescing to your unspoken request to leave. As he rowed the two of you back to the mainland, the setting sun turned the water into a mosaic of fiery reds and golds. There was little said between the two of you the entire way home, the conversation weighing heavy on your minds. 

Upon arriving at your door, you took a deep breath and said, “Listen, I’m sorry if that was too much.”

“No! No, it wasn’t. You don’t have to tell me everything if you’re not ready,” he replied, smiling back at you. He willed his heart to stop its panicked fluttering, mentally insisting that you had your reasons for keeping your secrets. God knows he didn’t want to make you cry, and the red rim of your eyes was more than enough to make him backtrack, ignoring his curiosity for the sake of your well being. God, this was awkward. He didn’t know what to say or do and for some reason he was intensely aware of his hands and how he didn’t know where to put them. He opened and closed them uselessly a few times, barely stifling an uncomfortable throat clear. “Oh. I should give you your phone back.”

As soon as both of your phones turned on an incessant, obnoxious stream of chimes erupted from them. You could hear the weariness saturating Riku’s voice as he asked, “Tidus?”

“Of course,” you chuckled, skimming through the slew of notifications. Opting to ignore the emoji-ridden, all capital letter texts he sent you, you tapped to open Sora’s distinctly more succinct message:

**Rehearsal for the rest of the week. Gotta prep for ‘Axel-geddon’.**

Followed by a:

**You don’t have to come if you don’t wanna, but Tidus said he’s gonna “literally fucking die” if you don’t.**

Peering at your screen, Riku laughed and lightly pinched at your waist with his hand before sliding it onto your lower back. His hesitation disappeared the minute his fingers dipped down to your lower back; this steady weight and warmth he was used to. This was something he knew how to do. 

“Guess we’re stuck together for the next week,” he murmured, resting his forehead on yours. You pressed your body closer against his, your eyes crinkling as you smiled.

“Don’t get sick of me.”

He slowly lowered his face to meet yours until he finally, **finally** kissed you, taking his time as he memorized the quiet sigh that escaped you and the way your hands squeezed his arms before you wrapped your arms around him. Reluctantly pulling away, he gently kissed your forehead before letting you go. 

“See you tomorrow,” he said as he walked backwards towards his house, a beaming smile on his face that you were certain matched your own. 

The following day as you diligently took notes during class, a wadded up ball of paper landed on your desk. Your eyes flicked up and met Tidus’s intent stare as he pointedly and not so discreetly nodded his head at the note. You slowly uncrumpled it, only to reveal the message **check your phone** scrawled hastily across it. You looked at your teacher – notorious for confiscating electronics – and minutely shook your head ‘no’ before returning to your work. Seconds later, the unceremonious sound of notebook paper ripping reached your ears, followed in sequence by paper crumpling before another note landed on your desk. You sighed and gave Tidus an exasperated look before uncrumpling this note as well.

**Ok FINE. How many songs about Ax-hole is too many songs?**

Before you could scrawl a reply, another note landed on your desk.

**Like can we somehow get him to listen to us for an hr straight.**

Then another.

**Or are we gonna have to ambush him all day.**

**Can you be arrested for kidnapping if you let them go?**

**Wait that’s holding someone hostage isn’t it.**

**I think that’s still illegal.**

The next note that flew at you, you swiftly batted away, glaring at Tidus momentarily before you quickly faked confusion as Mr. Uematsu whipped his head around. When he turned back around you stealthily snuck your phone out of your bag and onto your lap, quickly typing out, **Why do you write notes how you text also STOP** and sending it to Tidus. 

**K but how many songs is too many. 10? 20?** he wrote back, also sending along three gifs for good measure.

**One is enough.** You hit send firmly. No emojis, no gifs, nothing.

You felt your eye twitch as you read his response:

**LOL you funny tho see you after school.**

The rest of the afternoon passed swiftly and without incident (mostly due to you ignoring Tidus and tossing the ever-growing mountain of notes on your desk into the garbage. Roxas throwing a well-aimed eraser into his friend’s ear didn’t hurt either) and before long you were gathering your things from your locker with the boys standing nearby. 

“Listen, I hope you’ve been practising because we need to be on our A game for this weekend. That asshat needs to know how much better than him we are now,” Tidus said, jabbing a finger into the palm of his hand for emphasis. “And that means no fraternizing with the enemy, Rox. Bros before hoes.”

Sora looked up from his phone, his brow furrowed. “That’s doesn’t even make sense—” 

“I’m not avoiding him just because you’ve got beef,” Roxas replied flatly, his eyebrows knitting together in a perfect mirror image of his twin’s face. 

“Then we’re not bros anymore, bro,” Tidus said with a haughty sniff. “You’re not my homie. My bud. My dude. My guy. My Broseph Stalin. My—” He was abruptly cut off by Roxas hooking an arm around his neck, pulling him into a chokehold. You laughed until the blitzballer’s face started to turn red, and looked at Sora.

“Shouldn’t we stop them…?”

“Nah,” he responded with a casual shrug as he trained his phone on the two of them, his tongue poking out of his mouth as he focussed. “This is going on the ‘Gram.”

Right as you opened your mouth to reply a hand grabbed the back of your shirt and pulled you backwards. You stumbled back with a yelp, twisting quickly and grabbing onto Riku’s arm. “Give me a warning next time, huh?” you grumbled as he laughed.

“Gotta keep you on your toes,” he said as he slung an arm around your shoulders. He looked at the other boys, his thumb tracing circles on your shoulder as he called, “Ready?” Roxas and Tidus managed to untangle themselves – though to be honest it was more Roxas choosing to finally let Tidus go – and the three of them obediently trotted after the two of you.

“Jesus,” TIdus said with a smirk, “The man goes on one date and he acts like he’s wifed up. You gonna give up your side tings now or later?”

Riku shrugged nonchalantly. “Nope. She’s my first choice.” He pulled you impossibly closer, nearly tangling your legs together. You felt a small firework of satisfaction explode in your chest when you saw Kairi’s face as she watched your small group walk past, an overly sweet smile on your face as you waggled your fingers at her. Riku grinned when he noticed the direction of your gaze and he lowered his head to whisper, “Be nice” in your ear. Feeling the tingles race down your spine you flushed and stared resolutely ahead at the door.

“I always am.”

~*~

Your alarm blared through your room, the slight crack in your curtains streaming sunlight directly onto your face. You fumbled with your phone and finally managed to press snooze as you burrowed deeper under your covers. The ten minutes of bliss passed far too quickly before your phone was going off again and after resisting the urge to throw it across the room, you sighed and rolled onto your back to stare at your ceiling. Why were you getting up so early on a Saturday again? Picking up your phone, the not so subtle Facebook event was right at the top of your notifications: it was Axel-ggedon. Someone needed to talk to Tidus about his social media usage. 

You eventually managed to hoist yourself out of bed and start your day until you were meandering up the driveway to the twins’ house, the garage door already open and cables crisscrossing the floor.

“154 minutes late, but I’ll let it slide,” Tidus said as he adjusted his mic stand.

“Bud, there was no way I was getting up at 6,” you retorted, stifling a yawn. Sora looked at you, his normally bright blue eyes half-closed as he massaged his temples.

“Lucky. You’re so lucky he can’t run into your house unannounced,” he grumbled. 

“We don’t even know when Cloud’s getting here,” Roxas said sullenly, resting his head on his drums. Riku stayed silent, slouched in a lawn chair. He lifted a lazy arm to tap the back of your knee as your walked past, blearily opening one eye and smiling before promptly returning to dozing. 

Three hours passed, interrupted only by the occasional complaint and everyone (minus Tidus) moving into the house at 9:30am and reclining on various pieces of furniture for a nap. Roxas’s phone chimed, and he swore under his breath as he fumbled for it. “He’ll be here in five.” 

The four of you stretched, smacked your lips, and rubbed the sleep from your eyes as you filed outside. Tidus, for his part, was sitting on an amp, guitar in one hand, head in the other as he drooled in his sleep. Roxas smacked the back of his head, starting him awake.

“Axel-geddon is about to start.”

Tidus blinked wonderingly up at his friend, clasping his hands together. “You said ‘Axel-geddon’. You like me. You really like me…!”

“Yeah, whatever,” Roxas said with a grin, picking up his drumsticks. 

In the distance, the faint sound of a motorcycle reached your ears, slowly growing louder with each passing second. Tidus cracked his knuckles and slapped on a toothy smile, his fingers poised over the strings of his guitar. “Ready?”

The motorcycle peeled around the corner of the block and came to a screeching halt at the end of the driveway. Helmets came off and you just barely registered blonde and red hair, icy blue and vibrant green eyes meeting yours when Roxas yelled, “One, two, three, four!” You spun around on your toes as they dove into the song, all fatigue forgotten as they played. Underneath the blaring music you heard a loud, robust laugh from behind you. Tidus narrowed his eyes at one of the duo behind you and began to sing.

“ _It's sped up to the point where they provoke the punchline before they have told the joke. Can see a desperation to be seen staring at the television screen._ ” His eyes slipped closed as his continued. “ _It's sped up to the point where they provoke you to tell the fucking punchline before you have told the joke. Sorry, sunshine, it doesn't exist - it wasn't in the top 100 list._ ” 

Sora, either out of pure joy or embarrassment, began to dance, shuffling around in a circle as he played and nodded his head along to the beat. Tidus took in a deep breath and belted out, “ _And it's the thousandth time that it's even bolder. Don't be surprised when you get bent over! They told ya, but you were dyin' for it!_ ”

Roxas leaned towards his mic and sang, “ _Saw it and she grabbed it and it wasn't what it seemed. The kids all dream of making it – whatever that means._ ” He caught your eye and rolled his, a smirk tugging at his lips. You cast a glance over your shoulder to eye the two men still standing near the sidewalk, deep in conversation. 

“ _Another variation on a theme: a tangle on the television and the magazine. D'you reckon that they do it for a joke? D'you reckon that they make 'em take an oath that says that ‘We are defenders of any poseur or professional pretender around.’_ ”

You quickly turned your head back around to face the band when you saw the two strangers look at you, missing the pair have one more mysterious exchange before they began to begin the trek up to the house. Riku’s eyes narrowed unbeknownst to you when he saw the steady stare a certain pair of green eyes had fixed on you. 

Oblivious to everything but the music, Tidus tilted his head to the side as he warbled, “ _And when did your list replace the twist and turn and the fist replaced a kiss? Don't concern us with your bollocks  
I don't want your prayer…_” He finally looked forward, his mouth set in a thin line. “ _Save it for the morning after._ ”

Swinging his hips and guitar to the side, he began to dramatically play his solo. You half expected him to fall to his knees, but any amusement you had vanished when you felt rather than saw two people stand behind you. Someone was far closer than you’d expect for a stranger; you could practically feel the heat radiating off their body. You bristled slightly, not sure what to make of the situation. Reflexively you looked at Riku, but he was focussed on his part as he played steadily. 

Roxas was the only one that met your gaze and he flashed you a reassuring smile, quickly shrugging his shoulders as Tidus slid back up to his microphone. “ _And it's the thousandth time that it's even bolder. Don't be surprised when you get bent over! They told ya, but you were gaggin' for it!_ ” 

Someone leaned closer to you, their lips nearly pressed to your ear as they spoke. Tidus’s eyes were flashing pure fire as he watched the two of you, his hand violently slamming down on his guitar. Sora’s jaw dropped as he nearly missed his cue, and Riku looked positively livid. You almost missed what was being said to you as you looked the bassist in the eyes, the boy only held back by Tidus stepping in front of him and blocking his path to you. 

“ _Let's have a game on the Teddy Picker! Not quick enough, can I have it quicker? Already thick and you're gettin' thicker!_ ”

The body behind you moved away and you had to resist the urge to turn around and see who spoke. 

“ _Let's have a game on the Teddy Picker! Not quick enough, can I have it quicker? Already thick and you're gettin' thicker!_ ” 

You tried to keep your face as neutral as possible, tried to act completely unaffected, but the words whispered to you kept playing in your mind and you could feel the flustered blush rising in your cheeks and betraying your thoughts as you stood there. Guiltily you looked at Riku again, and he met your gaze with an unreadable expression, his jaw clenched. You missed the knowing and almost pitying stare the other three band members were giving the pair of you; Tidus didn’t even try to hide any hint of bitterness as he finished off the song.

“ _Presuming that all things are equal who'd want to be men of the people…when there's people like you?_ ”

The minute the song finished Riku whipped his bass over his shoulder and all but threw it into the lawn chair he’d occupied just a few hours earlier. Sora darted out in front of him, hastily unplugging his guiter as he lunged towards the entrance to the garage.

“Cloud! Took you long enough to visit!” He grabbed you by the shoulders and spun you around. One hand stayed firmly in place as the other lifted your arm to proffer a hand to his older brother. “Cloud, meet Riku’s girl.”

You blindly accepted the handshake of the amused older sibling, who arched an eyebrow.

“Riku’s girl, huh? She doesn’t have a name?” Sora flushed and stammered as he tried to bluster past the faux pas until Roxas finally saved him.

“Mom’s been bitching about you staying away from home for weeks,” the drummer drawled as he made his way over to your small group. Cloud grinned, and the resemblance between the Strife siblings was never more prominent than in that moment.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m here now, aren’t I?” He reached out an arm and ruffled Roxas’s hair. “Why were you so pissed off in that video, squirt?” 

Roxas pushed his brother’s hand away, a smile softening his response as he shot back, “Fuck off – I’m almost as tall as you now. And it’s none of your fucking business.”

“Language, Rox,” Axel drawled. You found yourself hard-pressed to meet his eyes for long, instead opting to look anywhere else. “Anyway, does ‘Riku’s girl’ actually have a name?”

There was an obvious, awkward pause in the conversation. 

“Can I get her name?” Cloud asked, finally breaking the silence.

“Cloud, (Name). (Name), Cloud,” Tidus said between gritted teeth. Cloud nodded at you and you silently mouthed a ‘hello’ at him, the tension rendering you silent. 

Alex, for his part, smiled and cocked his head as he looked at you. “’Sup, girl.” 

“Watch it,” Tidus barked, swinging his guitar behind him as he stepped forward. Riku placed a heavy hand on Sora’s shoulder and stepped around him, his shoulders squared.

“I’m just saying hi,” Axel said, raising his hands. “Besides, I’m pretty sure we’ve met before anyway.” You looked at him warily. 

“What?”

“Yeah pretty sure we met last year at a party in Atlantica.” Noticing your furrowed brow, he chuckled. “You were pretty gone that night, but I remember you were with Seb and his buddies. You still talk to him?” Your lips pursed as you shook your head. He shrugged. “Those guys are assholes anyway.” 

You could feel Riku looking at you. You could feel the other three boys looking at you. You could feel their unanswered questions rising, an oppressive weight behind you as you tried to fight the urge to sink into the ground and bury yourself deep beneath the asphalt. 

Cloud cleared his throat. “Anyway, why’re you guys playing songs from 2012? Still bitter about how we beat you at Battle of the Bands?” The simple statement seemed to snap the group out of its stupor, voices clamouring to retort. 

“You wish,” Tidus snapped, clenching a fist. “Just need to remind you we’re built for the ages—”

Sora swiftly interrupted with, “Besides, my first song is way better than the garbo you wrote—”

“And we would’ve won if someone” Roxas gave a sidelong glance towards Tidus, “didn’t flail around and unplug their mic—”

“But we won, and we’re still reigning champs. Got it memorized?” Axel retorted with a smirk. There was a chorus of protests to his statement, and somehow the wayward group made the unspoken decision to maneuver their way back into the Strife house, leaving you and Riku alone. You lifted a tentative hand and brushed a fingertip across his elbow.

“You okay?”

He turned to look at you, his eyes boring into yours.

“What did he say to you?” 

You shifted uncomfortably. “He just said hi.” 

“Is that all he said?”

You nodded emphatically, deliberately ignoring every single cue that screamed that he must have said more. Ignoring everything that was said about Seb and Atlantica and the partying and being ‘gone’ and—

“Yes.” You paused. Guilt tickled its way across your skin, its claws drawing blood. “I mean, like. He said— he just said hey.” Riku reached out to take your hand, his fingers squeezing yours. He looked intently at you for a moment, and you matched his gaze without flinching.

“Okay.” He let out a deep breath you didn’t know he’d been holding. “Okay,” he repeated, the tension seeping from his body. He leaned forward and kissed your forehead. “Let’s go out soon. Away from everyone else,” he whispered. 

You nodded numbly, feeling ever so slightly guilty as you tangled your hands in Riku’s hair while he kissed you, Axel’s words replaying in your mind. 

**_“Well hey there…don’t you look familiar?”_ **


	9. Island in the Sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the rival band is revealed!
> 
> Version used in this chapter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8b2ju7_tuI
> 
> Album version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erG5rgNYSdk

The Strife home was a modest two storey house with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and barely enough room to keep up with the ever-growing collections that the boys had. What was once a clutter-free basement had turned into Cloud’s high school bedroom, the walls covered in scrawled lyrics and a few dents from a few too enthusiastically thrown drumsticks. Countless books, careworn and brand new, were stuffed into the shelves; an old pool table at the back had a giant rip in the middle from when Cloud’s best friend Zack had drunkenly tried to do a trick shot. if you wiggled one of the exposed bricks just right it revealed a secret compartment that had been emptied the minute Cloud vacated the basement, but it still smelt faintly of weed and flowers. A small corner right above the double bed proudly said, “SORA WAS HERE”, and underneath just barely legible were the words “Rox too.” 

Upstairs was no different: each room seemed to hold countless stories and memories. Sora’s room was reminiscent of his middle school days, the ocean blue walls covered in carefully placed glow in the dark stars to map constellations - a remnant from his childhood dream of becoming a boat captain. If you laid in the middle of the bed and reached an arm around the headboard just right, you could find a stuffed bear carefully tucked in its hiding spot, though Sora remained tight lipped about its origin to the point that even Roxas didn’t know where it was from, no matter how many times he had teased his twin about owning it. 

In contrast Roxas’s room was papered with band posters, the walls rapidly gaining and shedding their décor as his music taste changed, scraps of tape and paper still lingering in hard to reach areas. The two things that remained untouched were the framed Kurt Cobain portrait above his bed, and the hole in his wall he’d lazily plastered and promised his mother he’d paint over from when he’d startled a little too easily playing Bioshock. He’d claimed for the longest time he had punched the wall in anger until Sora got sick of it and ratted him out in the ninth grade. They didn’t speak for two weeks after that happened. 

All these stories were rattled off to you as Sora ushered you around the house on the grand tour, neatly side stepping his teary mother as she scolded Cloud for never writing, not getting a haircut, and not getting rid of his earring or at least, sweetie, change it from the wolf for god’s sake. Cloud for his part just swept her into a giant hug, kissed her cheek, and said “C’mon, ma” until she finally acquiesced to making blueberry pancakes with him tomorrow morning, a family tradition since he was four years old. 

As Sora recounted the time Roxas got grounded for a month for flushing cherry bombs down the toilet ‘just to see what would happen’, you cast an uncertain look downstairs. “Are you sure I shouldn’t say hi to your parents?”

Sora shrugged and half-smiled at you. “Me and Riku have been friends since we were babies and our moms were friends before that. He’s family. Unless you want to deal with meeting another set of parents on top of his, especially while she’s all riled up about Cloud, I’d lay low today.” He glanced in the direction of the front door where Mama Strife was loudly berating Axel for ruining his “beautiful auburn hair and dying it firetruck red” and snorted. “I think if she found out Riku’s girl was here she’d pass out.” 

After a few more quips the Strife matriarch finally made it out the door, bemoaning that she’d taken a co-worker’s night shift the one weekend her son was home (though “Lord knows if you called once in a while this wouldn’t happen”), and there was a brief moment of silence before Axel yelled out, “I need a fucking drink.”

When you and Sora finally made it back to the rest of the group, they were all loudly yelling at each other, the tv on full blast in the background.

“You guys sucked when you were our age,” Roxas said with a laugh, a fistful of chips in one hand and a drink in the other.

“No way,” Cloud retorted, cracking open a can. “We were awesome.”

“You were awful,” Sora quipped, snagging a beer and flinging himself over the armchair to sit. You shook your head no at the beer Riku was proffering you, quietly sitting beside him.

“You want something else? Sora’s parents have got loads of stuff and I think Cloud brought some too,” he said, making to stand up. You grabbed his arms and gently pulled him back down beside you, a small smile on your face.

“I’m okay,” you said, trying to ignore the queasy feeling in your gut and the oppressing stare you could feel coming from where Axel was sitting across from you. After a several minutes of uneasy shifting and only offering short remarks to the conversation around you, you finally excused yourself to duck into the kitchen under the pretense of getting water. You absently opened and closed cupboards as you sighed, deciding feigning searching for a glass was better than getting caught in a lie and needing to explain yourself. The more Axel’s words played in your mind the deeper your frown became, faint memories starting to rise as you thought about those months in Atlantica – the parties, the booze, the drugs, and the boys. You could still hear Seb’s loud laugh as clearly as if he was right beside you, his black eyes glinting as he gleefully pulled a boy beside him and asked if you noticed they had the exact same bright red shade of hair.

“I dunno why you’re staring at drain cleaner, but if you’re thinking about drinking that we’ve got a bigger problem here.” You started and quickly turned around, laughing a little breathlessly at Roxas’s amused face. 

“You scared the shit out of me,” you admitted, quickly abandoning the cleaning supplies. Without a word he strode past you and reached into the cupboard to your right, handing you a glass before rummaging through the fridge for the water pitcher. The two of you stood in silence as he poured you a glass, and you unconsciously began to worry your lower lip when he finally set everything down and looked you in the eye.

“What’s going on, man? You’ve been acting weird since Cloud and Axel showed up,” Roxas said in a flat voice. “You’re not as…” he gestured lamely in the air, wiggling his fingers as he tried to think of the appropriate word, “bubbly as you usually are. And, uh, straight up it kinda really does seem like you and Axel’ve met before.” 

“Everything’s fine,” you lied, averting your gaze from his and sipping nervously at your water. 

He sighed and drummed his fingers against the countertop as you looked anywhere but him. “I know we’re not super close or anything. Doesn’t help that everyone’s been shoving you in Riku’s direction for the couple months, but you know you can talk to me about stuff, right?” When you looked at him again, he was blushing slightly, awkwardly scratching the side of his nose. “As lame as that fucking sounds. I know I’m not as…weirdly friendly as Sora, but I’m pretty decent at that sort of stuff. And I don’t blab like Tidus does.” You smiled at him, punching him lightly in the arm.

“Thanks, Roxas.” You hesitated for a moment and sighed. “I feel like you’re going to find out anyway since, you know, he’s your best friend…?” You tilted your head, searching for confirmation and he shrugged, smirking when he saw you purse your lips in confusion. 

“Sure.”

“Right,” you drawled, arching an eyebrow at him. “I just don’t know if I’m ready for everyone to know and I don’t know how I feel about telling you this before Riku, but at the same time I feel like if I don’t say anything I might explode. Also I still don’t really know what happened with them and Kairi and I don’t want to make things weird because, um, **hello** it seems pretty clear she was shitty to both of them because she was maybe boy crazy or something – I don’t know – and now I found out he’s her brother and I wasn’t expecting that and–“

“Jesus Christ, STOP,” Roxas said, placing two hands on either side of your face and squeezing until you gaped, fish mouthed at him.

“Am I interrupting something?” The two of you turned, startled, to see Axel standing in the doorway, empties in hand as his eyes darted between the two of you. “Your brother’s best friend’s girl? That’s cold, Rox.”

“Shut up,” Roxas shot back, rolling his eyes as he let go of your face. “You’ve done worse, asshat.” Axel cackled and swiftly tossed the cans into the recycling, before lunging forward to put the younger boy in a headlock. You edged backwards as they scuffled, the two swearing and laughing good naturedly as they wrestled. Tidus at one point paused on his way to the bathroom and shook his head, rolled his eyes, and moseyed on by. After a few more minutes of this they finally broke apart, Roxas gaining the upper hand by elbowing the taller boy in the solar plexus. Grinning, he victoriously hoisted himself onto the counter beside you as Axel hunched over in front of you, trying to catch his breath.

One bright green eye peeked up at you. “Seriously though, you don’t remember me?” You silently opened and closed your mouth, struggling to think of a response. Axel straightened and smiled wryly, gesturing at his hair. “This is pretty hard to forget.” You mutely shook your head and shrugged, a weak laugh leaving your lips. He frowned and crossed his arms. 

“I swear it was you. Atlantica. A couple months ago. We were at Triton’s Palace? That shitty club on Fifth Street?” You could feel Roxas looking curiously at you and for a moment your throat felt like it was starting to close, the panic welling up inside your chest as the two sets of eyes pinned you to one spot. All you could do was keep shaking your head, your eyes widening as you saw him beginning to frown.

“Ax, I don’t think she wants to talk about—”

“We spent all night together,” Axel said, ignoring his friend. “And we pretty much shared life stories until we managed to sneak away from Crazy Fucking Seb and the minute that happened you couldn’t shove your tongue down my throat fast enough. Ignoring, I wanna add, that your boyfriend was actually called Crazy Fucking Seb, but that still didn’t stop me from trying to take you home as fast as I could.” 

“What the fuck?” With those three words your worst fears were confirmed. You and Roxas both looked guiltily at the doorway where Riku was standing, Sora nervously hovering behind him, and Cloud at the back of the group, silently drinking as he stared your trio down. For all the tension in the air you couldn’t focus on anybody but Riku, his bright aquamarine eyes narrowed as he levelled his gaze at Axel and Axel alone, his fists clenched. 

“What, man, she’s not allowed to have a life before you? Are you pissed I had her before you did?” Axel said smugly, turning to face him. Only the tense line of his shoulders betrayed his light tone, his feet shifting as he readied himself for a fight.

“What the fuck did you just say?” Riku snarled, baring his teeth and shaking off Sora’s hands.

“Okay, that’s enough,“ Cloud said coolly, easing into the kitchen. “Stop running your goddamn mouths.” Riku glared at him and stepped forward until the warning press of a hand against his chest stopped him, and Cloud murmured just loud enough for him to hear, “Take one more step and I’ll put you to sleep. I don’t care whose best friend you are.” 

Sora frowned, his eyes narrowing. “What does that mean, Cloud?”

As the hushed conversation slowly began to escalate into a shouting match, you edged your way out of the kitchen, taking in shuddery breaths as you tried your best not to cry. You barely made it to the front door through the veil of tears clouding your eyes, shoving your feet into your shoes and then slipping out the front door. You ran across the lawn and down the end of the block before the dam broke, openly sobbing as you made your way home. Your house was no relief as, with a strangled cry, you noticed Hiro pulling out of the garage, adjusting his rearview mirror as he did so. You quickly ducked behind your neighbour’s bushes, letting out a watery laugh as you considered how ridiculous you must look skulking through the greenery as you cried. Picking your way through the hedges into your backyard, you sank against the back of your house and wept. 

Destiny Islands was well known for its tight-knit community. The seclusion from the larger cities surrounding it offered a chance for families to bond, children to grow up together, and ultimately for everyone to know everyone’s business. You did your best to muffle your sobbing, faintly hoping that your neighbours hadn’t noticed you blundering across their front yard. You didn’t know what you’d do if people started asking questions, let alone if anybody else found out what had happened at the Strifes’. Try as you might, you couldn’t get the sound of Riku shouting out of your head, couldn’t erase the look Sora had been giving you, and couldn’t help but feel ashamed as you replayed Axel recounting your night together. How long had Riku been there? You phone began to chime incessantly and you groaned. Glancing at your screen, Riku’s name only served to bring on a fresh onslaught of tears.

You don’t know how long it was until you heard the doorbell ring, but by then your sobs had faded away into the occasional hiccup. You instantly stilled, worried that somehow whoever was at the door would be able to see past the solid brick walls to where you were hidden. You prayed to every deity above that nobody was home, and someone listened to you because there were a few more rings with no response. Your relief was short lived, however, as almost immediately after your phone began to ring obnoxiously, your hands fumbling as you struggled to silence it. Alas, you were too late. You could hear the footsteps drawing nearer to you and you futilely eyed the distance to the hedges, wondering if you could cocoon yourself in them before your uninvited guest arrived. 

“Hey.” 

Too late. 

Riku sighed and sat heavily beside you, resting a hand on your head. When you didn’t shrug him off but still refused to look at him, he slid his arm down to your back and shifted, pressing his forehead to your arm. “He didn’t just say hi before, did he?”

You didn’t reply. Riku sighed again, struggling with what to say. “I’m sorry,” he finally managed. He brushed his lips against your arm and tucked his chin on top of your shoulder, his fingers drawing lazy circles on your back. “I should’ve gone after you right away.”

You swallowed thickly, feeling the tears coming on again as you cursed yourself for being so emotional. “I’m sorry I lied.”

He paused. “Yeah.” He hesitated, his fingers stuttering. “What happened? Between you two?”

“I…don’t want to talk about it right now,” you sighed, closing your eyes and resting your head against his. He hummed in response, thinking. 

“I’m not gonna lie. I want to know. It pisses me off that he knows and I don’t and he’s holding it over my head.” 

“Not now,” you whispered, finally meeting his gaze. He looked at you silently for a moment, and you could feel the dread building – the fear that he’d insist you tell him, the fear that he’d leave once he found out.

“…Just come back to Sora’s,” he breathed, gently kissing you. You felt your entire body melt when your lips touched.

“I look like shit.,” you replied, gesturing at your puffy eyes.

Riku shrugged. “Just put some sunglasses on,” he said with a smile, the grin widening when you laughed. “I hated seeing you cry,” he admitted, kissing you slowly again. “Let’s go back.”

Every fiber in your body was reluctant to leave the safe haven of your house. The thought of going back to endure hours of Axel’s unending stares, the curiosity and hesitance in everyone else’s eyes, and suspecting that everyone knew what you’d done in Atlantica made your stomach churn. Resolutely, you turned and wrapped your arms around his neck, seeking out his mouth with your own as you pressed your chest up against his.

“I don’t want to,” you murmured, fervently kissing him again as you ran your hands up into his hair, giving it a light tug. His hands found your waist as you deepened the kiss, squeezing lightly. 

“What about everyone else?” You stubbornly sealed your lips against his again, ignoring his question as you swung a leg over to straddle him. When you looked at him his cheeks were flushed, his eyes glazed either from the kiss or the alcohol, and you felt a familiar warmth beginning to curl itself between your thighs. You tugged his hair again as you lightly bit his lip, eyes sliding to half-mast.

“Nobody’s home here.” 

Just like that, the fight and his friends were forgotten as he scrambled to stand up, letting you pull him inside. 

~*~

“And you didn’t bone?!”

“Shut up,” Riku hissed, kicking Tidus’s leg as he looked to make sure Sora’s parents hadn’t heard. Thankfully Rina and Joji were occupied with Axel somehow managing to get a pancake stuck on the ceiling. “Also, who still says ‘bone’?”

“’Hooking up’ is too general, nobody actually knows what the bases are, and ‘fucking’ is too crass to associate with my muse,” Tidus said with a haughty sniff. Sora choked on his breakfast, his face turning bright red.

“Chill on the euphemisms in front of my ‘rents!” he squawked. 

Tidus gave him a strange look. “’Euphemisms’? Seriously?” 

The guitarist shrugged. “SAT word of the day. Dad got me a calendar because “I need to surround myself with more academically inclined things” or whatever.”

“ANYway,” Tidus said, breezing past. “I really don’t think two people that named their kids Cloud, Sky Boy, and ROXAS are bugging out about teenagers talking about sex. They probably think it’s groovy or whatever that we even know what it is and are being smart about it. Make sure you use protection, Ri.” He turned to look at Roxas, his expression thoughtful. “Seriously though, how doped up was your mom that she just decided ‘hey, I had twins. Let me rearrange the first one’s name and stick an x in there for good measure – yeah that’s good enough’?” 

“Don’t talk shit about my ma,” Roxas retorted, kicking the blitzballer’s leg with significantly more force than Riku had. “Good thing you guys made up though,” he said to Riku, talking over the pained whimpers coming from beside him. “But seriously, you didn’t ‘bone’?” he asked, making exaggerated air quotations.

“It wasn’t like that,” the older boy said, his cheeks flushing as he violently stabbed a pancake with his fork.

“You’d been drinking, her parents weren’t home, and she was on top of you. Kinda seems like it was like that,” Tidus interjected. “That and don’t forget she apparently got it on with Flame-io over there.” There was a brief silence as the four boys eyed the tall, gangly man in the kitchen, his unruly hair sloppily tied up in a ponytail. “Seriously, doesn’t he need to go home or something?”

“Could say the same for you,” Sora grumbled darkly, remembering the distinctly Tidus shaped lump that had occupied the majority of his bed last night. 

“No. It needs to be…special,” Riku answered, the half-smile quirking his mouth up not wavering as he was met with a chorus of “oh my fucking god”s and “you’re so whipped”s. 

You, meanwhile, were dreamily poking at the oatmeal in front of you, replaying a few choice sunlit memories from the day before in your mind as your cheeks warmed and you shifted your thighs together.

“Everything okay?” You snapped out of your stupor to meet the gentle, albeit worried, smile touching your mother’s lips.

“Yeah,” you said quietly, quickly wiping the dazed expression off your face as you wolfed down your breakfast. “May I be excused?”

“Why are you in such a hurry? Running off see your boyfriend?” Hiro asked, his eyes piercing as he looked at you. You scowled, pushing away from the table a little harder than you meant to.

“None of your business, and he’s not my boyfriend,” you hissed back. 

“You aren’t going to say anything to her?” he demanded, looking at your parents. Your father flicked his eyes up from his newspaper briefly to meet your stubborn gaze before he sighed and resumed his reading. Your mother began fidgeting with her spoon. “Seriously, she’s out with some guy you’ve never met and you’re okay with this?”

“You have been spending an awful lot of time with those boys—”

“Riku lives next door. You’re more than welcome to speak to his parents and actually get to know them instead of acting like they don’t exist. They’re not like my frien— those **people** back home,” you interrupted, more vehemently than you would’ve liked. “And maybe if Hiro actually got to know him instead of just assuming every single person I become friends with is a horrible human being, he’d realize that.”

“And maybe if you had a better track record, I’d believe you,” Hiro retorted. 

You could feel the tears beginning to prick your eyes as you looked at him. “That was low.” 

“Hon, we did move out here to give you a fresh start—”

“Yes, I know!” you snapped at your mother, willing yourself to calm down when you noticed the wrinkles lining her face you hadn’t noticed before. The deep set of lines on either side of her mouth, not born from laughter. The way she kept turning her spoon over and over, just like how she would when you stumbled into the kitchen at 4am, the dark circles under her eyes betraying how little she slept. You felt that all too familiar lump rise in your throat and suddenly you couldn’t look her or anybody in your family in the eye. “I know. I’m going out.”

It took you blindly walking in the wrong direction for a block for you to calm down, your fingers jabbing mercilessly at your phone as you texted Riku, asking where he was. As the anger continued to fester in your gut, you did your best to ignore the sudden, desperate urge for a cigarette, the siren call of nicotine sliding its way through your nerves. The sudden chime of your phone snapped you out of the fever-state, and you grinned as you read the message.

**At Sora’s. I’ll save you some pancakes if Tidus shuts his face hole.**

Then, moments later:

**: )**

**Xx**

You all but ran to the Strife house, giddiness coursing through your veins as you trotted down the warm sidewalk. Your pace started to slow once the house came into view, your feet faltering and almost stopping when you caught sight of Axel sitting on the stoop, cigarette in one hand as the smoke coiled lazily above his head. You briefly entertained the idea of racing past him, but decided to salvage what little dignity you had left and walk past him at an even pace. He gazed steadily at you as you approached, taking one long drag before you reached him.

“Want one?” he asked, proffering the smoke. You tersely shook your head and he laughed. “You’ve changed a lot, huh? Not like I really knew you back then but, you know.” He stood and stretched, taking his time. His eyes never wavered from you, as he straightened his shirt and took another long, slow pull. “Sorry for outing you yesterday,” he said with a sharp grin, bending slightly to looking you in the eye. For a second your breath hitched, and then you raised an obstinate chin, refusing to flinch away this time. 

“I vaguely remember you being a stupid asshole back then. Guess you haven’t changed a bit,” you said icily. You felt a bit cowed when he laughed instead of backing down.

“I deserve that,” he said, his smile softening slightly into something friendlier. “Just thought I was lucky finding one of the best lays I’ve ever had.” With that he suddenly seemed too close, his breath too warm, and his eyes too knowing. You felt your entire body react and he seemed to notice, his eyes flicking down to your mouth as you bit your lower lip. “Take it easy,” he chuckled, voice a little huskier than it was before. “We can be friends. At least you’ll have someone who knows where you’ve been in your corner.”

“I don’t think I want someone like you in my corner,” you hissed.

Axel lifted a finger and grazed it against your lower lip as you froze. “You’re bleeding.” You hastily pushed his hand away and pressed your own fingers to your mouth, only to discover he was telling the truth. He watched you as you did you best to wipe it away. “You did that last year too, you know.”

You looked at him wearily, sighing heavily. “Can’t you let it go already?” 

He took a long drag from his smoke and then threw it on the ground, crushing it under his foot. “Whatever you want. Let’s go inside before your boyfriend tries to fight me again.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” you snapped automatically. 

Axel smirked. “He doesn’t seem to know that, baby girl.” 

You clenched your jaw and strode past him, regretting your decision not to ignore him earlier. You heard him walk in after you, humming softly under his breath as the two of you wound through the house to the backyard. If any of the boys had anything to say about you and Axel showing up together, they bit their tongues. Rina and Joji’s presence were a firm reminder that no matter what differences they had, they needed to be put away in front of the Strife parents.

After enduring introductions, ten minutes of motherly exclamations, and another fifteen of interrogation (Riku thankfully by your side), you were finally released to where Tidus, Sora, and Cloud were sitting. 

Tidus blearily opened one lazy eye to look up at you from where he was laying in the grass. “I ate your pancakes. I regret nothing.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” you said with a laugh, flopping beside him and Sora. Cloud was idly strumming a guitar, plucking silly little tunes on the strings.

“I didn’t know you played,” you said after a moment.

“Barely,” Sora said, half-smiling. 

“I used to be better than you, squirt,” Cloud shot back.

“Exactly. Used to,” his little brother retorted. “He started as a one man wonder, playing shitty Oasis covers and stupid songs about fuc—"

“Watch it.”

“… **smooching** girls in his class.” 

Cloud shrugged. “You’ve got to start somewhere.”

“You’re in a band now, right?” you asked, plucking at the grass beneath you. He nodded in affirmation, readjusting his back as he tried to find a more comfortable way to lean against the tree. “I think Demyx said it was…Oblivion?”

“You’ve met Demyx? Christ, did he talk your ear off?” Axel appeared beside you, Roxas at his side. The blond ruffled your hair in greeting as he dragged a lawn chair beside Sora. “Also, told you he wouldn’t like the name change,” he said, nodding his chin in Cloud’s direction.

“You finally got rid of the emo name?” Riku asked with a laugh, and the older Strife boy nodded in affirmation.

“There’s no way we were keeping something **Demyx** came up with when he was fifteen. We’re called Thirteen now.”

“Why Thirteen…?” you trailed off, and Tidus sat up, a sleepy smile on his face.

“Because that’s how many fans they have. Total,” he said with a yawn. 

Cloud rolled his eyes. “Fuck off, dude. Sorry, mom.” He raised a hand in apology at the pair of scolding eyes. Rina couldn’t hold the cross expression for long, fondness quickly replacing irritation.

“Are you going to play for us, sweetheart?” she asked, setting her coffee down. When he shook his head, she pressed a finger to her temple and looked thoughtfully at the sky. “If you do, I won’t say a word about your hair the next time you come home.”

“Make it the hair and the piercing and you’ve got a deal,” he bargained, an impish grin on his face.

“Only if you play the first song you wrote,” she countered stubbornly. 

“What, Garbage Juice?” 

Joji levelled a look at your laughing group. “Son.”

“Dad.”

Rina sighed. “Sweetheart.” 

Cloud strummed a chord. “Mom.” Another chord. “I hate that song.” 

Rina smiled serenely. “It’s my favourite.”

Cloud tapped his fingers thoughtfully on his guitar, weighing the pros and cons. “Fine.” He turned to look at Axel. “You want to sing?” The redhead shrugged and flicked his zippo open and closed.

“All you, man.”

Cloud began to quietly play, tilting his head down as he sang. “ _When you're on a holiday you can't find the words to say all the things that come to you and I wanna feel it too._ ”

Sitting in the sun as the warm breeze played around you, you couldn’t help but smile. The fight from the morning was forgotten, the incident the day before fading from your mind. They’d told you Destiny Islands was just one high school and one bar, but seeing the close-knit family and the childhood friends around you, the simplicity of your new home almost made your heart ache. In that moment you wondered how different things would have been if you’d grown up here. 

“ _On an island in the sun we'll be playing and having fun, and it makes me feel so fine I can't control my brain._ ” Cloud looked up at his mother and smiled. “I hope you know this means I’m never cutting my hair.” Before she could reply, he launched into the next verse. 

“ _When you're on a golden sea you don't need no memory; just a place to call your own as we drift into the zone._ ” You tilted your head to look at Riku, your heart fluttering when you saw him already looking at you. For a moment you marvelled at the way the light caught his hair and eyelashes, making his eyes the colour of sea glass. Without a word you moved until you were leaning against him, curled up by his side. 

“ _On an island in the sun we'll be playing and having fun, and it makes me feel so fine I can't control my brain._ ” Cloud took in a deep breath, belting out the next few lines as bobbed his head along. “ _We'll run away together; we'll spend some time forever; we'll never feel bad anymore…!_ ”

With a certain degree of fondness, you noticed Sora silently mouthing along with the words as his brother sang, mimicking the chords Cloud was playing as he did so. “ _On an island in the sun we'll be playing and having fun, and it makes me feel so fine I can't control my brain._

 _“We’ll run away together; we'll spend some time forever; we'll never feel bad any more. We'll never feel bad anymore. No, no…_ ” Cloud trailed off, humming along with the melody as he strummed. “ _We'll never feel bad anymore…_ ” Finishing with a flourish, he lifted the guitar in the air and mimed smashing it on the ground.

“That was wonderful, sweetheart,” Rina said, her eyes a little watery. Cloud pushed himself off the ground and ambled over to his parents, wrapping his arms around them in a tight hug.

“Love you, ma. Pops,” he said, setting the guitar down beside them. There was some more soft conversation as you all looked on, the picturesque moment broken as Roxas called,

“Hey, ma. When I move out will you start calling me ‘sweetheart’ too instead of ‘devil child’?”

Rina sighed heavily, amusement cutting through her stern voice as she said, “Roxas Emmanuel—” Axel guffawed. “—when you stop acting like a devil child and stop destroying my house, then and only then will I call you ‘sweetheart’.”

You pressed your lips together, trying to keep from laughing as you looked at the drummer. He shrugged nonchalantly before a wicked gleam entered his eyes. He sat up abruptly, staring at you intently.

“You ever see what a cherry bomb can do to a toilet?”

Before you could answer, a chorus of voices all spoke at the same time, belting out the response so loudly you swore you saw a cloud of birds fly out of a tree a block away.

“Roxas, **NO**.”


	10. Fake Tales of San Francisco

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did not like this song choice, but I couldn't think of anything else so here we are!!
> 
> Feat. Sora being a little morally upright sweetheart, Roxas following about ten steps behind, and Tidus lost in the sauce.
> 
> Song link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePg1tbia9Bg

Cloud left much in the same way he arrived: a flurry of hugs, tears, and more demands that he calls at least once in a while. With a wink and a broad smile, Axel had departed, punching Roxas in the arm a few times and promising they’d do something the next time he was in town. Riku felt moderate relief that you’d left early to pick up your younger sister from her swimming lesson, and if he’d noticed the careful and calculated way you’d said your goodbye to Axel he hadn’t told anyone. Unfortunately for him, Tidus was still filled with the sort of excess energy only blitzball could relieve, and the season didn’t start for another month.

“Okay let’s take the facts in real quick,” Tidus said, his mouth stuffed full of fries as he spoke. “How do we know it’s real?” 

Sora frowned. “Well we can—”

“I mean like,” more fries pushed by the fistful into an orifice, “we don’t **really** know that what went down went down.”

“Okay but—”

“He could be lying. LYING. Like that’s not something totally weird that people do. He’s probably trying to sound worldly and well-travelled like some bohemian wet dream.”

Brows furrowed. Hands clenched. Fists thumped.

“TIDUS.”

With a sharp squeal, Tidus turned offended eyes to Sora, whose hand was still extended, his arm still taut.

“Et tu, Brute?”

“Don’t act cultured because you memorized one line from Latin class,” Sora grumbled, waving his fist threateningly in the air. “Just ask Rox if any of it is true.”

Two pairs of eyes turned automatically to the disinterested blonde in question, who was busy trying – and failing – to build a house of cards. When the attempt failed in a flurry of spades, Roxas shrugged, a half-smirk on his face, his feet idly rolling his skateboard back and forth.

“He does want he wants. I don’t keep track of him.”

Tidus sighed, exasperated. “If your buddy disappears for a couple of months, you’d think you’d notice.”

Roxas shrugged again. “We’re not married.”

“Yeah no shit,” Tidus grumbled, running a hand through his hair. “So, since this asshole is useless,” (“Hey,” Sora interjected, frowning on behalf of his twin) “we have no idea if Axel really knows what’s going on.” He paused. “Maybe no news is good news?”

Three pairs of eyes turned to look at Riku, who was staring blankly off into the distance, his chin propped on his hand, his elbow on the amp. Bright blue-green eyes flicked over to the gawking trio, and then disappeared as Riku closed them, rolling his eyes heaven-ward under the safety of his eyelids as he debated acknowledging his friends. On the one hand, he had to admit, they had a point. For all he knew Axel was just making things up as he went along, extrapolating events in order to get under his skin. For some reason there had always been an innate animosity between the two of them that had been birthed from the second grade. As far as Riku was concerned, the older boy had it coming from hogging the swing set the way he did. It wasn’t his fault he got his ass kicked by a kid a few years younger than him. 

Still, playground vendettas and an awkward bought of dating Axel’s younger sister aside, Riku had absolutely no interest in intertwining his life with Axel’s any more than he had to. 

“Who cares?” he mumbled, going back to staring in the distance, opting to go with the other hand. Roxas and Tidus rolled their eyes and grumbled as they went back to idly gossiping; Sora instead scrutinized his best friend, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed him. Riku slid his eyes to the side to meet his gaze. “What?”

Sora scrunched his nose, his fingers twitching around his phone. Riku could almost see him Googling “how to tell your best friend he’s lying” into the search bar. Instead, Sora shrugged and carefully schooled his expression into one of nonchalance. “Nothing.” Sora stared studiously at his blank phone for several seconds, his thumb tracing the home button as he thought. Riku waited for the inevitable jibe, and he wasn’t disappointed when, after a considerable amount of time, Sora deigned him with another look and said, “Just thought you were better at lying than that.”

Riku could have killed him for how loudly he said it. Not a yell, but just enough for Tidus’s eyes to light up and fixate on him. Riku whipped his head up to stare at his so-called best friend, his jaw clenching. “Thanks, Sora. Real helpful.”

In a mad scramble Tidus flung himself over an amp, two chairs, and scraped his knees as he skidded unceremoniously to a stop at his friend’s feet. “Interesting.” He steepled his fingers, trying and failing to look thoughtful. “Then did it bother you when he told her to ‘keep in touch’?” 

“C’mon, of course it did.” Roxas stood and lazily skateboarded to the garage entrance, looping in a large circle once he hit the driveway. “Stevie Wonder could’ve seen that coming.” There was a pause as he did a kickflip, almost as if he was using the clatter of the skateboard wheels to punctuate his remark. 

“What’re we gonna do about it?” Tidus’s eyebrows waggled obnoxiously. `

Sora groaned in exasperation, pulling his guitar over his head. “Dude, don’t write another song about Axel.” His voice trailed off as he walked over to his twin, playfully nudging at the board with his toes. Roxas half-glared at him, wavering dangerously as he swerved. 

Riku smirked as he watched Sora chase after Roxas, yelling as he tried to knock him off the board. “I’m not going to do anything. I already told you, man: I don’t care. People have friends and people move and everyone tells everyone to stay in touch.”

Tidus’s brow furrowed, his nose wrinkling as he counted off the facts. “He knows some big mystery you don’t, is pretty clearly into her, and told her he wanted to keep talking to her. I’d be pissed if I was you.”

“Yeah, well you’re not.” Riku gave his friend a sidelong glance. “She’ll tell me when she’s ready.”

“What if she doesn’t?”

There was a long minute as Riku considered this, idly picking at a few peeling blisters on his palms. Truth be told, he wasn’t okay with it, but to admit this to Tidus was to invite more scheming and chaos into his life. As long as he could remember, he’d been able to breeze through life, blessed with all the confidence and luck the world could afford him – and then some. How strange that he’d never once considered how life was outside of the tiny islands. Nothing changed this close community where there was barely any wiggle room for error and poor decisions. In that moment he realized with startling clarity that he’d been growing up in a bubble – a warm, safe bubble that promised him comfort and stability. No wonder people chose to stay here all their lives. No wonder many others chose to leave.

If he was honest, whenever he thought about what atrocious past you could have, he drew a blank that could only be filled with melodramatic scenarios akin to teenage soap operas or Hollywood teen movies. Would he really care if you never told him? If you began with a clean slate here and he just took you as you were? He wondered what you would have been like had you grown up here. If you would’ve been friends. If your past would have been simple, not complex and hidden. If you’d still be dating him.

“Yo, you still there?”

Okay, he’d been thinking for a **really** long minute, or five. Tidus was scrutinizing him again as he tugged on his hair.

“She can do what she wants,” Riku finally answered, his voice steady despite the mental war waging in his mind. Tidus, disappointed by the lack of reaction, went to join the other two boys at the bottom of the driveway, where Sora had finally dethroned Roxas and was struggling to do an ollie. Riku let his eyes drift to your front door, the brass 505 numbers gleaming in the sunlight. He went to grab his phone from his pocket and paused, his thumb hovering over the home button as he stared at the blank screen, his mind finally made up. He wanted to know almost to the point of bordering on desperation, but there was no way he was going to drag anyone else into it. 

Tossing the phone on the amp he shoved his hands into his pockets and joined his friends. 

~*~

“Mira, let’s go.” You crossed your arms, toe tapping the ground as you arched an eyebrow at your little sister, jerking your head. 

She waved goodbye to her friends and shouldered her backpack up higher, flinging one neat braid over her shoulder. “Why are you here? Where’s Hiro?”

“He had something to do.” Your voice softened a touch when you saw her fingers wrap into fists around the straps. “Am I really that bad to be around?” you asked jokingly.

She stared at you with the clarity only children have, and spoke with the bluntness that comes with puberty and teenage-hood. “You never said ‘sorry’ for making us move.” 

You recoiled, feeling like you’d just been slapped. “…I’m sorry.”

“Say it when you mean it.” Then as easily as if the two of you had been talking about the weather, she turned and called, “Bye, Xion! Kairi!”, her voice and face immediately lighting up. You followed her gaze to a small, dark haired girl who was smiling and waving in response, half in and half out of the passenger side of a silver car you knew all too well. Kairi flicked her eyes over to meet yours and then rolled them, her lips pursing as she drove away. Mira faced you again, the struggle plain on her face as she debated sharing the joy that was all but bursting out of her, or continuing to guilt you. 

Opting for the former, she immediately launched into her tirade, practically bouncing down the sidewalk as she spoke. “Xion is the coolest and she goes to my school and she’s a year older, but she’s super nice and—” 

Relief filled you and your muscles uncoiled as you easily slipped back into a facsimile of the former relationship you’d had with your younger sister. Her recounting of a particularly drama-filled lunch period was broken by incessant buzzing coming from your pocket, Unknown Caller at the top of the screen.

“Hello?” 

“So, you do have the same number.” It took every ounce of willpower in you to not immediately hang up. You could hear the telltale flick of a lighter on the other end as you gritted your teeth.

“How did you find it?”

“The cloud is a wild, mysterious thing,” Axel said, and you could hear the shit-eating grin that was undoubtedly spread across his face. “Like, the **cloud** cloud. Not Cloud.”

You groaned and rubbed your temples. “I figured that out, genius. What do you want? Why are you calling me?”

“Because you can’t leave me on read this way.”

“…bye, Axel.”

“Hold up hold up.” Axel’s tinny voice stopped your lowering arm and with your hundredth sigh you brought the phone back up to your ear. “Just figured we could be friendly.”

Sigh number 101 puffed out. “I told you already. I don’t want to be your friend.”

“That’s because you only know me as a drunk asshole. I’m not that bad when I’m sober. Promise. Let me make things up to you, and I swear no funny business. Scout’s honour,” he added with a chuckle.

You rolled your eyes, but smiled despite yourself. “There’s no way you were a boy scout.”

“Sure, I was. If you’re lucky, maybe one day I’ll let you see me in my old uniform.” You had to laugh at that, the tension seeping unnoticed from your shoulders. 

“Yeah? I’m looking forward to it.” You followed the winding stepping stone path up to your front door, mimicking Mira as she toed her shoes off in the front foyer. 

You heard him inhale on the other end, for a moment you remembered seeing him in Atlantica with perfect clarity, the dim streetlights and fuzzy memory softening his edges in your mind’s eye. You could picture the way the smoke was probably lazily curling out of his mouth, floating up to barely mask the vibrancy of his eyes. “I’ll text you.”

Joining your family in the dining room, you murmured a soft greeting and proceeded to fade in and out of the usual mundane dinner conversation. Hiro expounded on his schoolwork, Mira gave a detailed retelling of her swimming lesson, and all was well and normal until, 

“She was on the phone with a boy.”

Your gritted your teeth, shooting a glare at your younger sister. “Mira!” 

“Was it…what was his name. Riku?” Your mother looked beseechingly at you, and you felt your chest tighten when you noticed the faint hope in her eyes. At least someone in your family was trying.

“Nope,” Mira sang, effectively ruining the moment.

Hiro smiled dryly. “Already got another one, huh?”

“Shut up, Hiro.”

“She said his name was Axel,” Mira said, putting far more weight on the name than you wanted her to, her expression mirroring Hiro’s.

Hiro frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly. Your shoulders started to creep up as you hunched lower in your chair, violently stabbing your fork into your dinner and wondering how your sister had such a big mouth for someone so small.

“I think I know him.” The response was one nobody was expecting, and four pairs of eyes shifted to look at your brother, your father finally removing his attention from the game on tv. You barely managed to avoid choking, nearly hacking up mashed potato.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Red hair? Tall? Face tats?” You saw your mother’s hand spasm at the mention of facial tattoos, but it barely registered amidst the blaring of alarms inside your mind as you tried to comprehend your brother knowing who Axel was of all people. “He goes to HBU. He’s in a band with a guy in my chem lab, Vivi.” This time you really did choke, thumping a hand firmly against your chest. Mira had a Cheshire grin on her face as she slowly worked on one stalk of asparagus, her eyes flicking back and forth between the two of you.

You guzzled half your glass of water, willing the potatoes back down the way they came. “You have friends?” 

“Not shitty ones.”

“Is he a nice boy?” Your mother swiftly interjected, sensing the impending argument. You bit back the swears sitting on the tip of your tongue, and instead began chewing ferociously on your lower lip, resuming subjecting your vegetables to an unfortunate demise by fork. 

“Sure. He’s alright,” Hiro said, still fixing you with a calm, albeit icy stare. “And at least I can ask him how (Name)’s doing since she doesn’t want to tell us anything about her life.”

You almost started laughing hysterically in his face. Part of you wanted to scream that it wasn’t his business anyway, and his constant attempts to insert himself in your life and make your decisions for you were stifling and old. Another part wanted to tell them every single detail of the night you’d spent with Axel, if only to see how Hiro’s face would crumble when he realized his judgement was about as far off as it could be. 

“Right. Thanks for continuing to cross the line and making me feel like a complete prisoner. There’s a reason I don’t tell you guys anything.” You angrily pushed away from the table, wondering when this ending to diner became a norm for you. All venomous thoughts directed towards Hiro and his lack of boundaries evaporated once you made it up to your room and flopped onto your bed, angling your face towards what little sunlight left was coming through your window. When you shifted something shimmered and drew your attention, pulling you to the sill as you smiled.

Riku was perched on the edge of his deck next to Sora, the two quietly conversing. There was a murmur and then Sora was laughing loudly, head thrown back as he slapped his knee. Riku chuckled quietly, pausing to take a drink. You briefly toyed with the idea of joining them, but something about them seemed so picturesque and private that you didn’t want to interrupt. Returning to your previous position you retrieved your phone and prodded a button. A text suddenly appeared, the notification heralded by a slight buzz.

**Maybe: Axel Wathaus  
** Text Message  
_Any plans for Halloween?_

~*~

Sora prided himself on being well established in just about every single clique that existed in Destiny High. A sunny disposition, disarming smile, and penchant for appearing ‘cute and cuddly’ to the general public had afforded him many an opportunity to build friendship and trust just about anywhere he went, and they reaped certain benefits like being privy to everything that went on in the background. The few occasions he was surprised were never unpleasant, but rather humbling he liked to think. Though he didn’t like imagining himself as a King of Whispers (as Tidus liked to call him in the world’s creepiest voice), he did enjoy being well-informed. 

Perhaps the past few weeks had gone too well and some higher power now thought fit to sow retribution to return balance to the world by absolutely destroying his. He was distracted from analyzing a particularly annoying stanza by the incessant flashing of his phone screen partway through second period. Carefully angling his body behind Rai’s, he unlocked the device and promptly felt his heart plummet. Feigning an urgent need to go to the bathroom, he slipped out to the hallway and into the nearest restroom, kicking at the wall as he pressed the phone to his ear.

“Hi! You’ve reach The Highwind. Our hours are Monday to Thursday, 11-11, Friday and Saturday, 11 to 2, and Sunday 12 to 6. Sorry we’ve missed your call! Please leave a detailed message and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible,” Yuffie’s voice chirped brightly over the phone.

“Hey this is a message for Mr…uh…” Sora stared blankly at the wall. What was his last name again? Did he even have a last name? “…Mr. Cid.” He cringed, wondering why on earth he always assumed Cid just sprung into being one day, immediately beginning existence in his 40s, toothpick, white shirt, and all. “I was wondering if we could talk about the Halloween event we’re supposed to be playing? My band, that is. Uh, Kingdom Hearts. That’s…what we’re called. If you can give me a call back—”

The phone was picked up suddenly and Sora stuttered, partway through reciting his phone number as a gruff voice barked, “Aren’t you supposed to be in school right now, kid?”

“I am in school,” was Sora’s automatic response as he resumed kicking the wall. There was a loud laugh on the other end. 

“Go back and study, then. Call back later.”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait!” Sora rushed out in one breath, one hand flying out in front of him as if he could physically restrain the man from hanging up on him. Inhaling slowly, he tried to think of the best way to proceed as he scuffed his shoe along the linoleum. “I heard that you’re getting someone else to play now and I was just…I was just wondering if that was true.”

Cid huffed and adjusted the handset. “It’s nothing personal, Sora. Just gotta sell more sell tickets. I was going to call and tell ya today, but-cha beat me to it. We still want you to kick things off, though.”

Sora leaned heavily against the wall, his forehead pressed to the pockmarked concrete. His stomach was twisting. “Okay.”

“You’ll get there one day, kiddo, but I have to keep our doors open too.”

“No, totally! I get it.” He bit back the scream bubbling up in his chest. “Thanks for the opportunity. Bye.” The concrete was rough against his skin, but he still groaned and shook his head regardless. He was dreading breaking the news, and he had no doubt that the reaction wasn’t going to be pretty. Opening his messages he tapped out a quick reply, threw on an emoji for good measure, and went back to class. For the rest of the period he found himself hard-pressed to concentrate on Keats, particularly when Cloud finally responded with a,

_Cool. Pretty sick you guys are gonna open for us._

~*~

“What? …wait, **what**?”

Roxas grimaced and shoved Tidus in the side. “Why do you always speak with your mouth full? You’re getting ham all over me.” Tidus muttered something mutinous about it being the most action Roxas had gotten in months, and received a hard foot stomp in response. “When did this happen?”

Sora pouted, his chin on the cafeteria table as he surveyed his twin. “They stopped by after they left to say hi to Yuffie and Cid and I guess they started talking because here we are.”

“How is Axel getting his claws in every good thing in my life?” Tidus grumbled, albeit with an empty mouth this time. 

“You’ve got a cut,” you announced as you walked up to them, the hand not balancing your cafeteria tray poking Sora’s forehead to the side of the abrasion. Sitting beside him, you tilted your head to the side. “And you look super sad.”

Riku sat beside you, popping the tab to his drink. “What’s going on?” 

“Thirteen is playing The Highwind on Halloween now instead of us. Fucking assholes,” Tidus said, biting into his sandwich with renewed passion. “Fucking Axel. We have to open for that asshole now.”

Roxas rolled his eyes. “Hey man, it’s not like they knew. Cloud wouldn’t have let that shit happen otherwise. And a gig is a gig so just let it go.”

“Let it go? Let it **go**?” Tidus stared unwaveringly into his friend’s eyes. “If you start singing about building a snowman with them, I will lose my shit on you.”

“For fuck’s sake.” Roxas threw his hands in the air and balled up his trash, stalking over to the garbage can. 

“Roxas is right.” Riku shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he received the brunt of Tidus’s incredulous stare. “Cloud wouldn’t do that to us, and it’s not their fault they’re a good band.”

“First of all, how fucking dare you—”

“Just relax. We don’t have enough songs, we’ve never done anything that big, and blitz starts soon and you need to start hitting the gym again,” Riku stated matter of factly. “It’s nobody’s fault. Least of all Sora’s.”

As if on cue, Sora let out a, “buh” as he unburied his head from his arms.

“I really am sorry, guys.” Every single part of him screamed ‘guilt’, from the dejected slope of his shoulders to the way even his hair seemed to be drooping. Tidus’s mouth snapped closed and he muttered something vague about training regimes and blitzball needing all his focus anyway and it’s not like he needed Riku reminding him of that. 

You reached out and smoothed down some of Sora’s hair, pushing it out of his eyes. “At least you’ll get to play with Cloud? Is it the first time you’ll be performing together?” 

A wan smile appeared on his face. “Yeah. It’ll be fun.” He perked up at the thought, the sadness shedding off his body as he sat up. “He said they have a bunch of new music we haven’t heard so I can’t wait for—” 

Roxas reappeared with a bag of Skittles, tossing them at his twin’s face. “Good. You’re done being a mopey bitch. And you,” he pointed at Tidus, his finger nearly jabbing the other boy in the eye, “don’t fuck anything up for Cloud or Axel.”

Tidus pushed the finger out of his face, huffing petulantly. “How are you still friends with that guy?” 

“It’s easier than being friends with you,” was the response, coupled with a smirk as Tidus squawked and began ranting about how Roxas could suck his dick and he hoped he got smacked in the face with a blitzball in gym. 

When the bell rang Riku slung an arm around your shoulders, kissing your head. “I’ll walk you to class.”

“Oh god, please don’t,” Roxas said with a roll of his eyes. You smiled sheepishly at him.

“I’ll meet you there, Rox.” He just waved you off as he walked away, tapping out a beat on the strap of his messenger bag. You smiled brightly at Riku, “Wanna hear something weird?”

“Always.” The two of you slowly meandered down the hallway, your fingers tickling his side.

“Hiro knows who Axel is.” The statement, meant to be casual, still had a slight tremor in it as you waited for his response. Riku stopped abruptly, making you stumble backwards as you clutched at his shirt for support. 

“Seriously? How?” He was blinking incredulously at you, his mouth in a small ‘o’ of surprise. For a moment you forgot the topic at hand as you stared at the way the sun caught his eyelashes, dust motes lazily floating between the two of you. 

Pulling yourself out of your stupor felt like swimming through molasses, and as you registered the way his eyes were sliding not so subtly to your lips you debated if you’d be able to convince him to ditch the rest of the day with you. Finally finding your voice, you continued. “Something about a mutual friend in a lab or something? I don’t really remember. His name was Kiwi? No, wait…that’s not right.”

“Vivi?” Riku suggested, a smile quirking the corners of his lips. 

You pounded your fist in your hand, triumphant. “Yes! That’s it!” Riku laughed and pulled you along. 

“As long as he hates him more than he hates me.” Well, that was uncomfortable. You didn’t even bother debating whether or not you should tell him about the surprisingly nonchalant attitude your older brother had towards the other man – that was a conversation that could only end poorly. Dropping you at the classroom door and turning down your half-whispered suggestion to bail on the rest of the day (he had a test next period, after all), Riku tugged on your hair and brushed his lips against your temple, promising in a hushed voice to make things up to you after school. The way his hand lingered against the side of your face and the way he smiled at you, his tongue wetting his lower lip, you felt like the wind had been knocked out of you. You breathlessly managed an eloquent “Kay” and stumbled into your class, legs shaky.

Roxas looked at you when you collapsed in the desk next to his, and scoffed, prodding you with his pencil. “You’re both incredibly and disgustingly whipped.”

You smiled dreamily at him. “Tell me something I don’t know.” 

By the time the school day was over your entire body was humming with anticipation. Desperately shoving your textbooks into your locker as quickly as you could, you slammed the door shut and nearly jumped out of your skin when Tidus’s beaming face was revealed.

“I have a fun new song for you,” he said with a toothy smile, his eyes glinting.

“Oh! Well, I look forward to hearing it this weekend!” You spun on your toes to walk away, but he doggedly kept up with you, chattering a mile a minute.

“I was thinking you could listen to it tonight. I’m calling practise at Riku’s so we can wow everyone at The Highwind. Just imagine it: we’re so godlike they don’t even bother calling Thirteen on.” He swept his hand through the air for emphasis, narrowly missing knocking you on the head. 

“Actually, I think Riku and I have plans.” You said the words so quickly and quietly that he almost missed it. You could feel the pinpricks of guilt settling in your stomach as you remembered for the umpteenth time that you were ruining any sort of structure the boys had in their friendship before you met them. Unbidden, the image of Sora and Riku speaking together flashed in your mind. How long had it been since they’d been able to spend time together like that, since you’d arrived? And there it was: feeling like you were an outsider once more, any emotional progress you’d made totally lost. 

“No way! Lovey dovey couple time can happen after this concert. It’s way too important. Tell her, Ri, that Kingdom Hearts’s fate is more important that a sloppy make out sesh!” He looked plaintively at the older boy who was still in the middle of emptying his schoolbag, his eyebrows raised. 

“Tidus.” Riku clapped a hand on Tidus’s shoulder. “Remember all those times we rescheduled practise for blitzball practises, blitzball games, out of city tournaments, and that one time you decided you were finally going to woo Selphie and try to get to third base?” You pursed your lips, trying to stifle a giggle as you looked at the boy in question. 

Tidus linked his hands behind his head, frowning. “…you gotta a point there. …okay fine. Everyone gets one pass, you dick. Use a condom.” With that parting remark he strode off, his phone already out undoubtedly texting the twins to try and coerce them into practise. 

“Ready to go?” Riku grabbed your hand and pulled you after him, your palm tingling from the contact. Pushing the giddiness welling up inside your chest down, you mentally scolded yourself. Seriously, you were acting like this was you first time alone. 

The two of you breezed past your fellow students, Riku skillfully dodging the people in front of him and maneuvering you to do the same. When you passed Kairi you felt more than saw her stare at your joined hands, but her “Oh God” was loud and clear.

He glanced back at you briefly. “Don’t engage.”

“I won’t,” you said sullenly. “But I’m getting really sick of her trying to make every day into some sort of weird, teenage drama. Do you think she knows there’s no such thing as a queen of a high school?”

He laughed, head tossing back slightly. “Who cares?”

At the rate the two of you were walking you made it to the dock in minutes, piling into the boat and rowing to the small island infinitely faster than you had the first time the two of you made the excursion. This time, instead of leading you to the paopu tree he ushered you up a few stairs, motioned you up a ladder (and tried his best to not look up your skirt) until the two of you were sitting under the shade of a large tree, at the topmost landing. 

You sat and caught your breath, once again marvelling at the way the light glittered off the waves, sparkling much like Riku’s eyes had earlier that day. Suddenly very aware of the very warm and muscular body beside you, you fiddled with the hem of your skirt and looked up at him through your eyelashes.

“So…what now?” There were a few seconds that seemed to stretch into eternity as the two of you searched each other’s eyes, and then he leaned down and pressed his mouth against yours in a hungry kiss. At some point or another you wound up on your back and one of his hands was coiled in your hair and the other on your waist, and when one tugged and the other slid up tantalizingly slow you forgot any semblance of guilt from before. 

~*~

“Why are you still sulking?” Roxas tapped out a steady beat on his legs, spinning his drumsticks around in his fingers a few times for good measure.

“It’s not the same if everyone’s not here,” Tidus said, definitely not sulking as he stared at carpeted floor, tracing patterns on his guitar. Sora continued to shovel cookies into his mouth, completely uninvested in the conversation as he wondered if he’d be able to steal the entire package from the kitchen without anyone noticing. 

Roxas groaned and drummed a little harder. “Grow up, dude. Who’s been bitching about Riku being single for the past couple month? Who schemed to get them together in the first place?” 

“Bros before hoes, Roxas,” Tidus said solemnly. “ANYway, I had a plan today! I spent all of fourth period writing lyrics to that bum-ass song of Sora’s (“Hey!”) we never used to see if we could find out what happened between (Name) and Axel, stealth-style.” He waved the aforementioned sheet of lyrics around, the page riddled with scribbles, scratches, and the occasional drawing of Spongebob. Roxas snatched the paper out of Tidus’s hands and started laughing.

“Yeah, because calling it ‘Fake Tales of Atlantica’ is real subtle,” he choked out. “Discretion is not your strong suit.”

Tidus started sulking a little harder. “You got a better idea, wise-ass?”

“Literally anything else would be better than that. Right, Sora?”

Sora snapped out of his cookie fuelled daze, a few crumbs still clinging to the corner of his mouth. “Buh?”

Roxas grinned, affecting a gameshow host voice. “Pick a city, any city.”

Sora, in a wild panic and mostly because he had stayed up until 2am watching Lilo and Stitch the night before, blurted out, “San Francisco.” 

There was a pause.

“Does it work?” Tidus asked, scooting over to sit beside Roxas and getting a little too close for comfort. Roxas scowled and shoved him off the bed, which was completely unfair considering they were in Tidus’s house and room after all and Roxas should learn how to be a better house guest – all points Tidus loudly made in an only slightly whiny voice with only a slightly sulky air. 

“Yeah. You can try it.”

“This isn’t a free show, dickface. You’re playing too,” Tidus said, swinging his guitar into his lap. Roxas arched one eyebrow and gestured to the room.

“On what? All our stuff is at home or at Riku’s.” He twirled his drumsticks again, and then amended his statement. “Well, almost all of it.”

Tidus clenched a fist. “Just improvise. Feel the music. Channel the music. Be the music.”

Roxas rolled his eyes so hard they almost popped out of his head. “Fuck off.”

Despite any and all objections, after a good ten minutes of threats, coercion, and grudging organization, the Strife boys found themselves singing and drumming along to Tidus, Roxas’s kit replaced with a series of encyclopedias and Sora air guitaring and singing each note he was ‘playing’ like he was ten years old in his room again. 

“ _Fake Tales of San Francisco echo through the room_ ,” Tidus warbled. “ _More point to a wedding disco without a bride or groom. There's a super cool band yeah with their trilbys and their glasses of white wine, and all the weekend rockstars are in the toilets practicing their lines._ ”

Roxas started giggling to himself when he hit an encyclopedia particularly hard and it slipped off the bed with a loud thump. Tidus shot him a murderous look, and kicked him in the foot, earning himself a sharp tap to the knee with a drumstick.

“ _I don't want to hear you_!” Tidus sang, closing his eyes and trying to visualize himself playing to an adoring crowd, lights bright in his eyes and bras were thrown on stage. 

“ _Kick me out, kick me out_!” Roxas and Sora dutifully chanted, if a bit dully. 

“ _I don't want to hear, you know_!”

“ _Kick me out, kick me out_!”

“ _I don't want to hear you_!”

“ _Kick me out, kick me out!_ ” came a bit delayed this time, and Tidus’s eyes snapped open to glare, disappointed, at the culprits. God knows when he became rich and famous he wasn’t going to give them any credit for his success or even the time of day.

“ _I don't want to hear you! I don't want to hear your fake Tales of San Francisco echo through the air! And there's a few bored faces at the back all wishing they weren't there_!” Tidus belted out each word, dancing as best he could from his seat on the bed. Roxas threw a drumstick in the air, miscalculated, and winced when it bounced off Sora’s head. He mouthed a ‘sorry’ at his twin, barely catching the return throw aimed directly at his nose. “ _And as the microphone squeaks a young girl's telephone beeps! Yeah she's dashing for the exit, oh she's running to the streets outside. "Oh, you've saved me, " she screams down the line! "The band were fucking wank and I'm not having a nice time"!_ ”

“Wait, hold up,” Sora said, stopping with a frown. “Is this song about Axel?” Roxas and Tidus looked incredulously at each other. 

“You’re just getting that now?” Tidus sputtered, as Roxas nodded mutely, another fit of giggles threatening to spill out his mouth.

“Then the band is Thirteen. Which is also Cloud’s band,” Sora continued insistently, leaning forward. Tidus nodded slowly. “We’re not singing about my brother like that. Especially not when we’re opening for them. And you,” he directed his disappointment to Roxas, “saw what he wrote and you were okay with it?”

“C’mon, Sora. It’s just a joke,” Roxas said with a shrug, tugging at the collar of his shirt.

“I dunno.” His twin shook his head as he stared at the duvet beneath him. “If someone wrote a song about my brother and best friend being shitty, I’d be pissed.” The silence that filled the room was heavy and uncomfortable, the demand for apology and self-reflection too much for any one of them to bear.

Roxas mumbled something about going to the bathroom and left, leaving Tidus to silently watch as Sora began to pack his things up and then escorting him to his front door. “We’ve written songs about Axel before, you know,” Tidus said eventually, a last-ditch attempt to justify himself.

“Yeah, when we were fourteen and he knew about it. It’s fine if he’s in on the joke but,” Sora frowned, “we’re getting too old for that stuff now, and I’m not singing about how shitty my older brother is when we all know that’s not true. And that’s definitely one thing we all agree on. I don’t want to make this an ignominious show for them.” Seeing the bewildered look on Tidus’s face, he added, “SAT word of the day.”

Tidus rubbed the back of his head, finding himself hard pressed to look into his friend’s eyes. “That SAT calendar is changing you, man.”

Sora grinned at that, the warmth spreading back into his face as he swiped a finger under his nose. “Just go back to singing about Riku and (Name). There’s a ton of stuff you can use.” He waved and left, humming quietly to himself. Not too long after he disappeared down the block Roxas was also leaving, not entirely sure he could resist killing Tidus if there was nobody around to stop him. He turned to say his goodbye when,

“Sora’s always gotta be the nice one, huh?” Tidus said with a wry smile on his face. Roxas pursed his lips, his eyes narrowing and Tidus swore he saw his life flash before his eyes. Perhaps placated by the sheer panic he saw on the face of the boy before him, Roxas shoved his hands in his pockets as he spoke.

“Yup. Total golden boy hero who cares about friends, family, and feelings way too much.” His tone was light, but truth be told his nails were digging into the palm of his hand. He took the steps down with a leap, calling over his shoulder, “Don’t use the song. It’s shit.” 

Definitely not sulking for the third time in two hours, Tidus yelled, “It’s not shit; it’s funny and if neither of you get it, I can’t help you!” A pause and then another deep breath. “Your face is shit!”

Roxas flipped him the bird and walked away.


	11. My Name is Jonas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoAnLHSLHGQ

The sun was filtering through the leaves where you were hidden with Riku, the light lazily sliding across your faces. Underneath the soft rustling of the trees, you could hear his breath hitch and catch as the two of you kissed. Each moment seemed to pass by too quickly as the two of you moved together. One of his hands caressed your waist, squeezing gently as he slowly untucked your shirt, his fingers tickling bare skin moments later. 

You moaned against his mouth, arching your back in an unspoken request for him to go further. Sliding an arm under your lower back he pressed you up against his body, the friction and heat of the moment making your mind go blank. Everything felt too hot: his thumb tracing under your breast, his mouth brushing against your neck, and the way his hips were almost, but not quite pressed up against yours. 

Impatient, you arched up against him more insistently, one arm propping you up. Slowly your weight shifted until you were straddling him, his back flush against the tree trunk as you wove your fingers into his hair. One hand slid down the back of his neck as you kissed each other hungrily, your tongue sliding out to meet his. You firmly sat yourself in his lap, feeling a tremor race through your body and his as he groaned, his fingers pressing into your lower back. 

His head thumped against the tree as he looked at you, his eyes dazed, fingers dipping teasingly into the waistband of your skirt. “Fuck,” he breathed as you rolled your hips against his, your hand trailing down his chest. When your fingers starting undoing buttons his hands glided downwards and skimmed your ass then changed direction, sliding up your thighs. He squeezed again and your fingers fumbled on the last button in their scramble to pull his shirt free. 

You sloppily found his mouth again, pushing the shirt off his shoulders and letting your hands roam across his arms and chest, your body tingling when you noticed he felt as hot as you did. His thumbs traced lazy circles into the soft flesh of your upper thighs as his mouth left yours to press wet, open kisses to your neck, teeth nipping and skimming. Your head lolled backwards, allowing him more access. Your skirt was hitching up, his hands were travelling into dangerous territory, and your hips were moving insistently against his when the two of you were suddenly interrupted by an, “I’ll race you!”

Both of you froze, panic tearing through your minds as you peeked out just over the edge of where you were hidden. Two small children were shouting as they ran across the sand, their father trailing after them with a fishing rod over his shoulder. He yelled something out at them, but the words fell on deaf ears as the two of you scrambled to put your appearances back in order, RIku wincing as he tried, and failed, to adjust his pants. 

“Let’s go,” he whispered to you grabbing your hand, but you tugged him to a stop and coughed, pointing at the front of his trousers. He looked down and chuckled, embarrassed, and nudged you towards the ladder. “You go down first.” Obliging, you clambered down the rungs and walked swiftly to the boat, staring determinedly straight ahead. God forbid you make any awkward eye contact with anyone. 

Riku hopped into the boat minutes later, rowing the two of you back to the main island. You made it about halfway before you started laughing, any fear of getting caught evaporating as tears began to prick the corners of your eyes. Riku chuckled along, pausing momentarily to link your fingers in his. You gave him a mischievous grin, tickling your free hand up his thigh.

“Think we could get away with continuing in the middle of the water?” He swallowed thickly and glanced around, more disappointed than he’d admit at the sight of several small boats floating nearby. 

“Don’t tempt me,” he chastised, squeezing your fingers lightly before rowing the two of you back to shore. Every instance you could you were pulling him in for a kiss, alternating between quick pecks on his cheek and lips, and longer, lingering ones when there wasn’t anybody around. The walk home dragged on as you reluctantly made your way back to homework and family, and further away from sun-soaked kisses and warm embraces. 

At the tail-end of your journey your phone chimed, and you reluctantly removed your hand from where it was hooked into one of his belt loops, your chest still pressed up against his as you glanced at your phone. 

“Tidus?” Riku asked, resting his head atop yours as he breathed in the faint smell of your shampoo. Any happy hum running through his veins disappeared the minute he glanced at your screen. 

**You ghosting me now?**

Riku frowned. “Why is Axel texting you?” 

You locked your phone and put it back in your pocket, your stomach twisting at the hard note in his voice. “He wanted to say sorry.”

“How does he know your number?”

“Apparently I gave it to him when I met him. In my defense, I didn’t even know he still had it.” 

“What could he possibly have to say to you?”

You tensed. “Riku…”

He pushed the hair out of his face and paused like that, his fingers curled against his scalp as he looked past you down the street. His jaw was clenched tight. “Are you going to reply?” 

He still wasn’t looking at you, a slight frown on his face as he flipped his phone around in his free hand. “I haven’t decided yet,” you answered honestly, reaching out a tentative hand to pinch the fabric of his shirt and tug gently on it until his eyes met yours. You swallowed the lump in your throat, mouth dry as you whispered, “I can’t really afford to lose any friends right now.”

Riku bit back the automatic retort of, “He doesn’t want to just be your friend”, your vulnerability so obvious in the air he could almost feel it radiating off you. Instead he settled on, “Okay” and forced himself to breathe and relax. There was one final lingering kiss before you went inside, the soft, quiet exchange making your entire body feel giddy all the way up your driveway.

Riku meanwhile quickly unlocked his phone, calling a hello to his parents as he went upstairs to his room, the device pressed to his ear.

“How was the ‘date’?” 

Riku shrugged his bag off his shoulder and placed it in the corner, shucking the rest of his clothes as quickly as he could with one hand and draping them along the back of his chair. “Good. Really good.”

Sora chuckled on the other end, the sound of whatever sweet treat he was munching on muffling the sound. “Tidus was pissed you bailed.”

Riku threw himself onto his bed, idly scratching his stomach with one hand. “Yeah, well, he’s always pissed about something.” He thought for a second about how the evening with you had ended, and wavered for a second on debating whether or not he wanted to talk about it. He couldn’t shake the slight twist in his gut as he thought about it, about how you’d looked up at him and the way the voice shouting in the back of his head was still raging that you were too naïve to know Axel’s true intentions. For that matter, he wasn’t entirely sure he knew what the intentions were, but his gut told him they were nothing nice. Whether that was prejudiced based on his pre-established opinion, he didn’t bother to examine. 

“Hey Sora…do you think it’s weird for— for past…er, flings to be friends?” He wanted to punch himself in the face for how poorly he’d phrased that.

Sora hummed in thought on the other end. “Well you guys don’t seem happy about me and Kairi talking.”

“That’s different,” Riku insisted. 

“Is it?” There was a dissatisfied huff. “Cut the crap. I know you’re talking about Axel and (Name).”

Riku snorted. 

Sora took it as confirmation, cracked open a can of Coke, and settled into his bed. “Okay, Ri. Tell me what happened.” 

“It’s just stupid bullshit. Axel texted her sorry or something,” Riku grumbled.

“And?”

“And nothing. She didn’t say anything.”

Sora was quiet on the other end. “Nothing?”

“Maybe something about not wanting to ice him out or whatever, but nothing. To him,” Riku hastily amended.

“Let me get this straight. He just wanted to apologize, she hasn’t replied, and if she does, she just wants to be his friend?”

“Man, you remember how he was at your house though. Telling her to keep in touch and—”

Sora started laughing. “Tidus told me you told him that everyone tells everyone to stay in touch. C’mon, Ri. You know how it is. It’s all the little promises that you kind of make because you don’t wanna be a dick. And it’s not like she’s been hung up over him and thinking about him when there’s new memories to be made here. That and,” a quick slurp interrupted, “you’re the one that said you’re going to wait for her to talk to you about her shit.”

“Doesn’t mean I don’t want to know now though,” Riku shot back, his hackles rising. He sighed as he mulled over what Sora said, his eyes staring aimlessly at the patterns on his ceiling. “Why do you have to make so much sense.” It pained him to admit that, but god knows Sora was laying all his insecurities bare and disproving every single one of them.

“Because otherwise you’d get in your head too much.” Sora hesitated for a second. “Have you told her about what happened with us and Kai?” 

Riku ran a hand over his mouth, feeling the chapped skin under the pads of his fingers. “Does it matter?” 

“It could help her understand why you’re so skeeved about Ax. And it’s not fair if you expect her to tell you everything, but you won’t tell her.” There was a rustle as Sora shifted around, then another loud slurp. “Axel’s not that bad, you know. There’s nothing wrong with her being friends with him.”

“But she already has us.” Frustrated though he was, Riku could hear how incredibly childish he was being. He wanted to be understanding and mature; he wished he could’ve just smiled nonchalantly and genuinely not cared about whether or not you chose to respond, but the stubborn part of him was steadfastly holding onto his jealously and wrapping it more securely around his heart. 

“Riiiii,” Sora groaned, then he yelped suddenly. “Fuck, I gotta go I just spilled my drink all over my bed.” The sound of hurried footsteps and a door crashing open were the last things Riku heard as he laughed. Exhaling deeply he scratched his stomach, wondering if you’d responded to Axel by now. Maybe Sora was right. Maybe he should give Ax-hole the benefit of the doubt, and at the very least he should have a modicum of trust in you. 

He rolled onto his side and contemplated this for all of ten seconds if he should text you and apologize when his screen suddenly lit up, two messages from you appearing in quick succession. 

**I think you were a little too enthusiastic.**

His pupils dilated, his heartbeat picked up, and he inhaled sharply as he greedily stared at the hickey he’d left at the base of your neck, his eyes trailing down the line of your neck to the gentle slope of your shoulder, the strap of the tank top you were wearing halfway down your arm. The green-eyed monster inside him was placated, stroking his ego as he triumphantly regarded the evidence of your evening escapade. Its contented purr was stoking a fire in his belly that worked its way swiftly down to his groin. 

**Same time tomorrow?** he texted back, and a second later you responded with,

**Oh god yes.**

Smiling, he glanced over his shoulder to make sure his door was tightly shut then inched his hand into his boxer briefs. 

~*~

You lightly traced the outline of the bruise Riku had left on your skin, fighting back the urge to smile dreamily as you thought about the events from a few hours ago. Your happy reminiscing was brought to a swift halt when your phone buzzed.

**Wish you were here**

Riku’s very messy bed might have been the main focus of the picture, but you instead hungrily soaked up the sliver of his body that you could see, your heart flipping when you fully registered that he was lounging in his underwear from the few inches of his body he’d left in the side of the picture. You wanted to dive through the photo into his room and let your hands and mouth roam over what his clothes had hidden from you. Caution be damned! Something about that boy made every synapse in your brain short-circuit and forget that you were supposed to be taking things slow. 

In the midst of your wild imaginings your phone buzzed again, the notification sliding down at the top of the screen and causing every single daydream to deflate.

**K I can take a hint**

Shame instantly coiled in your chest and you reflexively curled in on yourself, your shoulders hunching. Your thumbs were hovering over the keyboard – what could you say to Axel? What did you even want to say to Axel? The thought of seeing him again wasn’t entirely nauseating (though Tidus would probably jump on the fact that it would still be _somewhat_ nauseating), but the thought of seeing him again with Riku there wasn’t something you wanted to entertain. Particularly when it was at an event where Thirteen had unceremoniously unseated Kingdom Hearts as the headliner. 

Wait a second. That’s right. That’s right! Indignation spread like wildfire through your veins. How dare he act so nonchalant when he’d taken an opportunity away from your boys. 

**Don’t be so needy. You already know I’ll be there**

You paused.

**For Riku**

Satisfied, you considered the matter dealt with and almost set your phone down when the response appeared on your screen.

**Relax, I was just asking.**

**You know for someone who says he’s not your man you’re trying pretty hard to make it seem like he is**

Scoffing, you locked your phone and tossed it on your bed, refusing to deign him with a reply. Whatever you had with Riku was none of his business, and him commenting on it was unnecessary. Reflexively you eyed the hickey on your neck again, though this time you were filled with doubt. Okay, so you didn’t know what the two of you were doing. Was that really such a bad thing?

Atlantica flashed unbidden in your mind.

Your fingers convulsed at your sides, tangling into the hem of your shirt. Shaking, you grabbed a sweater and pulled it on, avoiding looking in the mirror at all costs. The weather was cooling, but not nearly enough to warrant the heavy fleece you’d chosen. That coupled with the feeling that the walls were closing in on you had you flinging your bedroom window open, almost draping yourself half out of it as you greedily gulped in air. 

It didn’t matter. Things were fine. It’d only been a month and a half, and to expect that the two of you would be as thick as thieves after a handful of dates was irrational. You stared resolutely at the blue curtains in the house across from you, willing Riku to open them and give you the soft smile that made you melt. 

They stayed stubbornly shut. Sweat began trickling down your back. 

“He’s not like them,” you whispered, rubbing your arms to chase the itch crawling under your skin away. “He wouldn’t do that.”

_Wouldn’t he?_

You could hear the voices of your former friends whispering in the back of your mind, and almost smell the smoggy city air. The taste of smoke and salt drifted through your mind. The memories were bubbling up, viscous and tarlike. 

Your eyes slid shut.

Seb had his arm around you like he always did, a hand across the back of your neck in a pale imitation of affection. His palm was always too warm, too heavy; more of a collar than a comfort, if you wanted to use the heavy-handed metaphor. But he had connections and he had coke, and this was the most consistent relationship you’d had in a long time. 

You lazily looked around the room, your head already lolling to the side as you tasted the smoky remains of scotch on your tongue. Grey eyes met yours and you blinked back blearily, your lips parting slightly as you tried to remember why he looked so familiar. 

Oh. Right. You looked away as quickly as you could your head spinning from the movement as you fought to keep your blush down, but Seb already had his eyes on you. He always had his eyes on you.

He leaned in to whisper, his breath warm against your ear. “Who’s that?”

You swallowed thickly. You could hear your heartbeat quicken, your mind struggling for clarity as you tried to determine just how serious this situation was. “Nobody important.”

“Yeah?” He inclined his head to survey the other man. From the corner of your eye you could see grey-eyes flicking his gaze over to the two of you, shuffling awkwardly from side to side when he saw Seb’s unwavering stare. “He seems to know you.”

You didn’t respond, but your face betrayed you as it warmed, and you nervously took another drink. Seb’s fingers tightened briefly around your neck and he chuckled, low and dark, the sound sliding like warm water across your skin. He nudged your earlobe with his nose. 

“I get it. Fucked you and then fucked off, huh?” You pursed your lips and he laughed again, sharp and biting. “His loss.” His hand moved from your neck to your hair, slowly twining it around as he watched it catch what little light was drifting through the haze of smoke in the air. Your breathing quickened into shallows puffs of air, and you dared a quick peek at his face. His carefully constructed disinterest was betrayed by the faint gleam in his eyes and you knew somehow, some way he was keeping tabs on grey-eyes. Knew without looking that even though grey-eyes had walked away Seb knew exactly where he was and could drag him back kicking and screaming in five seconds flat.

It seemed like he was in a good mood, though, and the rarity of such an occasion meant that maybe there wouldn’t be another night with you standing outside in the cold, numb, trying not to shrink backwards as someone you maybe remembered from a few weeks or months ago coughed out a blood-splattered apology onto your shoes. It might have been an apology addressed to you, but undeniably meant for Seb’s bruised fists and scuffed steel-toed boots.

“You want me to lay him out?” 

You forgot how to breathe. 

One look confirmed your suspicions: the owner of the long, lingering stare had disappeared. You waited for the relief to hit, and yet instead there was only an echo of a morning long past, where your head hurt and your mouth was dry and your bed was empty and you wanted to throw up especially when you saw the boy dressing at the end of your bed, his curious grey eyes flat and focussed on the ground as he mumbled out a half-assed excuse for why he had to leave and why he couldn’t see you again and how it was fun while it lasted and—

“Yes.”

A wicked smile spread across Seb’s face and he pushed himself off the couch with all the grace and strength of a tiger on the prowl. You gathered your things and his and quietly walked out the back of the house, only slightly swaying from side to side as you made your way down the block to where his car sat, unlocking the doors and slipping into the passenger seat. Closing your eyes, you drifted off, suddenly awaking to the driver’s door opening. You ignored the slight swelling and bruising on his fists and the dark splatter of something on his shirt. 

He turned the key and the engine roared to life as he said, cool and calm as can be, “Vanitas is having an afterparty at his.” as he pulled out onto the street. 

If the corners of his mouth quirked at the faint sound of sirens in the distance, you didn’t say anything, and neither did he.

“Dinner’s ready.”

You snapped out of your reverie, guiltily turning to look at your doorway where Hiro was standing.

“Why’re you wearing a sweater?” 

You tugged at the sleeves. “I was cold,” you lied, feeling the sheen of sweat on your skin soak into the fabric. He narrowed his eyes at you, opening his mouth to say something. You stubbornly pushed some hair out of your face, clenching your jaw. Huffing, Hiro turned and left, swinging the door shut behind him.

Free of company you peeled off the sweater and put on something lighter, trying to cover up as best you could. Pausing in front of the mirror you tugged lightly at the collar of your shirt and eyed the hickey one last time. 

It was fine. It didn’t mean anything. It was **fine.**

You ran your hands through your hair, tucking it neatly behind your ears, then walked downstairs.

~*~

The skeletons and pumpkins dotting front porches multiplied tenfold as the days passed. Fake cobwebs stretched across every available palm tree, despite the effect being incredibly undercut in the brilliant sunshine. You’d laughed at the attempt until Sora very solemnly informed you of an incredibly poisonous spider that lived on the island, going so far as to scar you with several YouTube videos of it hunting prey three times its size. 

Finally, the day arrived: Halloween. Having spent hours that felt like years listening to Sora chatter on about how much he loved it, watching him salivate over candy displays, and keeping a firm grip on Roxas’s shirt when he finally saw the none too flattering series of childhood costume photos his twin had posted on Instagram, you were ready for the day to be over. 

Sora, on the other hand, was ready to maximize every single second he had to celebrate with peak energy. This meant that at this very moment you were involuntarily bouncing up and down on your feet as a very enthusiastic Sora had his arm looped through yours. God knows why you’d come outside without Riku, who’d been holding his best friend at arm’s length for the past week whenever he tried to lunge at him and “infect him with Halloween cheer”. Roxas was being absolutely no help whatsoever, snickering at your misfortune. 

Riku’s voice floated down the driveway as his front door opened, his mother beaming at your tiny group as he walked towards the three of you. 

“What are you, exactly?”

Sora beamed at him, his bouncing increasing tenfold. “A vampire!” A toothy smile confirmed the extra long canines he was sporting.

Riku’s eyes narrowed quizzically. “And the pumpkin on your head is because…”

“Because it’s Halloween!” 

“…Right. Okay. Sure.” He lightly nudged his fist against the side of Sora’s head, smiling. “And what’re you supposed to be?” he asked, arching an eyebrow as he looked at Roxas.

Roxas shrugged, tugging at the zipper on the front of his costume. “Spooky.”

Sora sniffed haughtily as he crossed his arms. “Buying something from Hot Topic does not a costume make.” Roxas snapped his gum and shoved his hands in the pockets of his long faux leather coat, the dangling chains chiming. 

“Whatever, man. I wonder what Tidus is going as.” 

As if he was summoned, Tidus appeared in a mess of fake hair, flannel, and the world’s brightest phone screen that he was shoving into Sora’s face. Sora’s eyes crossed as he tried to read a rather shaky Instagram post, Tidus angrily fixing the hat on his head as he asked, “How the HELL did you miss this?”

Gently pushing the phone a few inches away, you propped your head on Sora’s shoulder as you read, **BATTLE OF THE BANDS! DECEMBER 1 AT THE HIGHWIND. COMPETE FOR GUTS, GLORY, AND A GEN-U-INE CASH PRIZE OF $500.**

Sora sputtered helplessly, his eyes wide as he stared Tidus straight in his flared nostrils. 

“YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO KNOW EVERYTHING. YOU’RE ALWAYS ON INSTAGRAM,” Tidus howled.

“Are you going as Wayne from Wayne’s world?” Roxas asked, eyeing the other blonde’s haphazard costume.

“THIS COULD BE A FUCKING GAME CHANGER—”

“You’ve gone as Wayne for the past five years—”

“I don’t know how I didn’t see it I swear—”

“—COULD BE FAMOUS BUT NOOOO OUR MANAGER CAN’T READ APPARENTLY—”

“—I think it’s ‘cause I spent two hours watching dog videos—”

“—seriously, man, dress up as something a little more…hey, wait isn’t that my shirt?”

“It was just posted five minutes ago.”

Abruptly all conversation came to a halt and you looked away from the looping three second video of a corgi wearing sunglasses Sora was showing you. Riku sighed at the blank expressions on all your faces and slowly pointed to the time stamp under the post that began it all. Tidus slowly looked down his phone, looked back up at several accusatory eyes, and chuckled weakly. 

“My bad.” 

His hat flew off his head from the force of Roxas’s hand against the back of his head sailing onto the front yard, his wig landing sadly at his feet. 

Riku smirked, tucking his phone back in his pocket. “Yeah, so Sora’s good. Stop stressing, Tidus.” 

Tidus snatched his costume off the ground and muttered, “Of course I’m stressing. I’m always stressing. My secret is that I just am stress. Stressing is part of my regular life.” He wrinkled his nose as he looked Riku up and down, biting back a torrent of comments about how the hell he was always dressed in some way or another that just managed to make him look like he stepped out of an editorial, despite the ridiculous amount of zippers covering his clothes. “You would pick a costume that shows off your goddamn six pack.”

You grinned slyly at his comment as you eyed the older boy, you hand reaching out to gently tickle at the tiny triangle of exposed skin. “Yeah why’re you wearing a crop top?”

Riku snatched your fingers, doing his best to tamp down the shiver running down his spine as he looked at you with heated half-lidded eyes. “You like what you see?” 

“Jesus Christ, get a room,” Roxas growled. He pointed at the offending slice of flesh. “And put that bullshit away so we get a move on.”

You and Riku looked at Roxas with raised eyebrows, meeting his flinty gaze with matching expressions of nonchalance as you slowly tugged the bottom zipper of Riku’s shirt up and spread your free hand against the flat of his stomach, making a show of poking his bellybutton.

“What’s the matter, Roxas? Does this make you uncomfortable?” You tilted your head to the side in the picture of innocence as Riku tried not to squirm away from your ticklish fingers. You looked up at him, smiling sweetly. “Wanna make out?”

Riku smiled wickedly. “Yeah why not.”

“For the love of GOD.” Roxas stormed over to the two of you and firmly removed your hand, tugging a little more aggressively than needed on Riku’s shirt. He grabbed you by the shoulders and shifted you a good foot away from the other boy and then whipped around to stare him down. “You would find a way to make the main character of _Dreameaters_ look like a slut. Don’t ruin the fucking show for me.” 

Riku laughed at that, pushing his hair out of his eyes as he grabbed your hand. “Whatever, man. Let’s go.” 

Somehow the five of you managed to cram the necessities into Riku’s trunk, despite Tidus insisting that his guitar be on top because “his baby was a delicate instrument and deserved to be treated with kindness and respect”. Riku slipped into the driver’s seat, watching in the rear-view mirror as you tried to convince Tidus to not murder Sora for licking his palm and wiping his saliva onto his baby’s case in swift retaliation. You phone buzzed where you’d put it in the cupholder, and Riku felt his chest squeeze. Axel again. Fucking Axel. Seriously, this guy was going to be the death of him. 

Without any ceremony whatsoever you slid into the passenger seat, having successfully squashed Roxas in the middle seat between the two bickering boys. The anger radiating off him in waves at being forced into the ‘bitch seat’ were doing wonders with keeping Tidus in check, the blitzballer pressed about as close to the window as he could get.

Riku blindly handed Sora the AUX cord when he asked for it, incessantly chirping in his ear about what hype-up music they should listen to. He didn’t care. He didn’t think he was going to notice anything other than the way you looked furtively at your phone, nervously biting your lip as you read whatever godawful thing that stupid redheaded bastard had written you.

He cast you a sidelong glance, wondering what was going though your head. He was tempted to try and sneak a peak at your screen, but every brain cell was telling him it was a bad idea. You were nervously twirling your phone in your hand, staring out the window. Riku worked the lump in his throat down. 

“You okay?” 

Your fingers fumbled and your phone dropped in your lap, a tense smile on your face. “Totally.” 

Riku’s mouth was dry. Part of him was glad he was driving, happy for the distraction and not being able to look you in the eye. The other part wanted to know what the expression on your face was - what it would look like if he called you out for lying. In the back seat Bohemian Rhapsody swelled, Sora screaming the words as Roxas dissolved in a fit of giggles.

“For real?” He felt childish. Small, even, another lump in his throat as he waited for your response. 

“So you think you can love and leave me diiiiie!” 

You picked your phone up out of your lap, slowly curling your fingers around it. “I don’t think this is a good time to talk about it.” 

His chest felt like it was gripped in a vice. 

“You texted him back then, huh?” 

“So you think you can stone me and spit in my eyyyyyeeeeeeee!” 

He could feel your guard rising, and he had to bite his tongue even though he was itching for...well, not necessarily a fight, but a chance to tell you why you shouldn’t have. 

“Hey, it’s cool.” The words felt uncomfortable coming out of his mouth. When you gave him a sharp look he was worried he said the wrong thing, and he almost started stumbling backwards over himself to reiterate that okay maybe it wasn’t cool, but the small, relieved smile your face melted into made the words die on his lips.

“Thanks, Riku,” you murmured quietly, lightly squeezing his arm then trailing your hand down to let it sit above his knee. His body burned where you touched him, a reminder of things that were left very unfinished on the play island. It was fine, he thought. He could handle this. He could totally let you and Axel be friends even if he hated the other guy, but it was doable and he wanted to make you happy. If it meant squashing years of antagonism down, so be it. 

You gave his leg a squeeze as you hummed along to the tail end of the song, and his brain short circuited as your hand unconsciously slid a little higher.

“Nothing really matters…anyoooooone can seeeeeee…”

Your phone buzzed again and he watched as you abandoned his leg in favour of replying to what he was sure was another message from that fucking— that guy who was just trying to be friendly and didn’t have any ulterior motives at all. Nope. Not a single one. His grip tightened on the steering wheel as he took a turn a little faster than normal. 

Sora’s gloves winked in the rear-view mirror as he obnoxiously did jazz hands.

“Any way the wind blows…”

~*~

By the time they finally reached The Highwind and managed to unpack everything, endured the world’s longest lecture from Cid about barely being on time, finished set up, and stared nervously through the crack in the shifting curtains, Riku could only give you a light kiss (Roxas dry heaving in the background) as you whispered good luck to them. Then you crept off stage, the lights dimmed, and Yuffie whipped the curtains open with a flourish.

The spent more time than they’d like to admit blinking like deer in headlights before they quelled their shaking nerves. They played Dancing Shoes and Brianstorm to loud cheers, and even a few bored university students looked grudgingly impressed, tapping their toes along when they thought nobody was looking. Tidus launched into D is for Dangerous with a high kick, narrowly missing Olette’s face thanks to Pence quickly pulling her backwards. 

You nodded along to the music from where you were sitting towards the back of the bar, watching the movement of the dancing crowd in front of you. Rai and Fuu were shimmying in a corner, Kairi twirled in the centre of the floor, Selphie and Namine were giggling as they danced, and Seifer was busy trying to start a one man mosh pit. As your eyes drifted, you caught sight of a lone figure not too far from you, who looked at you before pointedly looking away. You gritted your teeth and reluctantly walked over, positive that if you didn’t make contact now it would come back to bite you in the ass later.

You stopped a foot away, close enough that you didn’t need to scream over the music, but far away enough that you could beat a hasty retreat if things went sour. “What are you doing here?” 

Hiro crossed his arms as he surveyed you. “I could ask you the same thing.” 

“Okay, fine. Don’t be civil,” you muttered, turning away from him. He didn’t move for the entirety of the next song, and you were too stubborn to be the first one to walk away. Grudgingly you looked back at him. “They’re pretty good, huh?”

“They’d be better if I hadn’t heard these songs a hundred times every single weekend.”

You flinched, the anger rising in your chest in a hot wave. “What is your problem? Seriously, can you just for **one hour** not be a total asshole? And not shit on the people I’m friends with?” You could feel eyes turning your way, but you didn’t care. “I know I made mistakes, Hiro. Okay? I **know**. And I wish I could take everything back or make everything okay or say sorry a thousand times until you finally believe me, but I can’t. I know you don’t trust me and I haven’t given you any reason to, but I’m trying right now. And Riku is good and he cares about me and he’s not like Seb.” You hushed the small voice in the back of your head that asked, “ _but what about your new friend Axel?_ ” 

“Hey. Should I come back?” You swallowed thickly and tried to will your tears away as you smiled at the young man who suddenly appeared beside Hiro, his gold eyes looking unsurely between you and Hiro. 

“You’re good,” Hiro said, not taking his eyes off you. You couldn’t read him, his face blank as he searched your face. You averted your eyes, shifting your weight. “This is Vivi.” 

Swiping a hand across your eyes, you forced a smile and held out a hand to shake Vivi’s, whispering a “nice to meet you”. There was another pregnant pause and right when you were about to make an excuse to walk away, Hiro cleared his throat to catch your attention, grabbing Vivi’s hand. Vivi looked startled, a light blush on his face as he smiled awkwardly at you.

“We’re dating.” Your eyes widened imperceptibly at this sudden glimpse into your brother’s private life, but you quickly snapped your mouth closed and genuinely smiled. Hiro coughed awkwardly. “He’s on next, so…” 

“Wait. You’re in Thirteen?” you managed to squeak, resisting the urge to point a shaking finger at Vivi.

“Yeah! You listen to us?”

You shook your head mutely. Somehow in that moment saying, “no, but I slept with your lead singer” didn’t seem like a bright idea. Vivi smiled brilliantly. 

“Well, I hope you like us and I hope I see you around more often,” he said, pointedly looking at Hiro who coughed again, pursing his lips. “Bye, (Name).” The two of them walked off, still hand in hand.

It took every ounce of strength in you to not slump against the bar, totally bewildered. The connection made sense, and it explained at the very least Hiro’s surprising condoning of Axel. The fear that Axel might end up speaking to Hiro and let something unsavoury slip while totally unaware the two of you were siblings loomed over your head. You had no time to further explore this train of thought as Sora appeared beside you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders with a huge smile on his face.

“Was that great, or was that great?!” he yelled, hugging you tight as he danced around, the edge of the pumpkin mask digging into your forehead. 

“It was great!” you giggled, his enthusiasm contagious as you filed away your fears for further perusal later. Riku managed to catch hold of your hand and he gently tugged you away from his best friend, drawing you to his side. 

“Did you see Ti almost take Olette out?” he asked, smirking, eliciting another laugh from you.

“I’m surprised he didn’t knock himself out,” you said with a grin. 

Tidus threw his hands up in the air, sighing. “It’s called performance and energy and hyping the crowd up. We can’t all just stand on stage and pout, trying to ooze sex appeal.” He started posing, making kissy faces. “Ooh, I’m Riku. Ooh, look at me be mysterious and brooding on stage. Do these jeans make my butt look fat?” 

“Put that shit away,” Roxas said with a chuckle, kicking at Tidus’s legs. “We get enough of that from Ri.”

Riku slapped a hand against his face. “Fuck both of you.” Roxas cackled and started posing next to Tidus, both boys alternating flipping their hair and flexing as they mocked him.

The bar’s lights suddenly dimmed and the stage lights flicked on, your group frozen in a tableau with Sora between the three boys arms outstretched, Riku about to lunge at Tidus, and you clutching onto the back of his shirt. The disinterested crowd at the bar perked up and surged forward, the space in front of the stage quickly filling with the press of bodies as Thirteen filed on. Sora yelped and grabbed Roxas by the collar of his jacket, the chains nearly snapping as he yanked him forward.

“Jesus, Sora! Take it easy!”

“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon! We have to get to the front!” Roxas wind-milled dangerously and then reached out and grabbed your hand, dragging you behind him as you pulled Riku along, following Sora as he wove and wriggled his way through the crowd. The five of you managed to reach the edge of the stage, stepping on a few more feet than necessary to make it there. Only Sora’s bubbly smile, apologies, and loud claims that he “had to see his older brother play live” kept people from dragging you back to the back of the crowd. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, “GO CLOUD!”, whistling loudly after. 

“What’s good, Highwind?” Axel drawled, his careless charisma oozing from every pore in his body. The cheer that responded to him was deafening to the point you swore the windows were going to shatter. 

Tidus pointed an offended finger at the stage. “Does Cloud have a fucking tambourine?” His eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he saw Demyx. “Is that a **harmonica**? What the fuck kind of bluesy bullshit are they planning on playing?” He turned to Sora. “I know your dad is from Nibelheim, but this is a little too bumpkin for me.”

“Hey it’s not all chocobo farms out there,” Sora replied with a frown. “Besides,” he said primly, “Cloud’s a visionary.”

Any retort Tidus was going to throw back was cut off by Demyx playing his guitar, his fingers flashing easily across the strings. Cloud began tapping on the tambourine and Tidus nearly choked on his own spit as he tried not to laugh. Then Axel leaned in towards the mic and Tidus was pitched forward, his wig and hat sliding down to cover his eyes as the crowd behind him jumped in unison.

“ _My name is Jonas – I'm carrying the wheel. Thanks for all you've shown us, but this is how we feel._ ” His long red hair gently shifted as he sang, tilting his head to angle up towards the lights his eyes flashing green fire as he looked out across the crowd. “ _Come sit next to me, pour yourself some tea just like Grandma made when we couldn't find sleep. Things were better then once but never again. We've all left the den – let me tell you about it._ ”

Grudgingly you had to admit he looked good like that, the light hitting the worn edges of the leather jacket he was wearing, flashing across the padlock necklace that was resting against his collarbones. You slid your eyes over to Demyx when he leaned in towards his mic and he caught your eye, his smile widening as he awkwardly bobbed his head in a silent hello towards you, a few mutinous pieces of his mohawk falling into his eyes.

“ _The choo-choo train left right on time. A ticket cost only your mind. The driver said, ‘Hey man, we go all the way.’ Of course we were willing to pay!_ ”

“Fuck.” Tidus clenched his jaw, his hands curling into fists. “FUCK. They’re good.” 

“What’d you expect?” Roxas snorted, head banging and singing along with the rest of them. If Tidus shot him a poisonous look it went unnoticed as Axel sang,

“ _My name is Wepeel! I got a box full of your toys. They're fresh out of batteries, but they're still making noise, making noise!_ ” 

“Why the fuck are you dancing along?” Tidus asked, indignant as he struggled to cram the wig firmly back on his head, spikes of sunshine streaked hair poking through the dark brown mullet. 

Roxas half-shrugged as best as he could, jerking his head towards the stage. “He’s my bro, he’s my BRO, and the rest of ‘em are aight.”

Tidus leaned over to shout something in your ear, but it was muffled and barely coherent. You looked at him, confused, not even trying to look apologetic as Sora appeared suddenly beside you, slinging an arm around your shoulders as he danced. 

“ _Tell me what to do now the tank is dry now this wheel is flat **and you know what else**? Guess what I received in the mail today? Words of deep concern from my little brother._” Giving up on the two of you, Tidus turned and repeated himself to Riku, who was standing arms crossed as he nodded along to the music. Riku rolled his eyes and shouted something back, somehow extricating a hand from the press of bodies and smacking Tidus upside the head.

“ _The building's not going as he planned,_ ” Demyx caterwauled, one combat booted foot tapping along to the beat as he steadily strummed along. “ _The foreman has injured his hand. The dozer will not clear a path. The driver swears he learned his math!_ ”

Axel leaned in, voice lowered as the two of them sang, “ _The workers are going home, the workers are going home, the workers are going home, the workers are going home…_ ” His eyes screwed shut as he yelled, “ _YEAH!_ ”

 

In sharp contrast to the boys surrounding you, Thirteen didn’t leap wildly about stage as they played, each person seemingly lost in their own world as the crowd in front of them undulated. Vivi seemed to be the most stoic of the four of them, his eyes quietly focussed on his bass. Cloud was slamming his sticks on his drums, a mess of hair and hands. Beer flew through the air in an arc and splashed on your head, but you found yourself hard-pressed to care as you danced with Sora, the two of you a blur of flailing limbs. 

“ _The workers are going home, the workers are going home. The workers are going home…yeah, yeah, yeah!_ ”

When Demyx pressed his lips to his harmonica he wasn’t met by jeers as Tidus expected, but instead a deep, throaty cry from the audience as they whooped and cheered. Staring incredulously at The Highwind, Tidus yanked you and Sora back by your shirts, shouting so loudly his voice cracked.

“We HAVE TO beat them at battle of the bands. B O T B. We gotta redeem ourselves after tonight and just show ‘em we can’t be fucked with!”

Roxas grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and noogied him so hard the hat and wig were lost to the shaking floorboards and tromping feet. “Man, just live in the goddamn moment for once in your life.” With manic glee he tugged his flannel from his friend’s waist and waved it in the air as he danced, his leather coat unzipped and flapping around. One particular wayward tassel caught Tidus in the eye. 

Tidus almost looked like he was about to snap, but you quickly grabbed his arm, drawing his attention as the music quieted, Demyx taking the forefront again as he played. 

“You can worry about it later,” you said firmly. Tidus scrunched his nose, but shut his mouth all the same. Smiling at your victory, you turned your attention back to the stage, unwittingly looking at Axel as he looked back at you. The smirk you were quickly becoming familiar with changed into a grin that was more reminiscent of a shark staring down its prey than anything else. You minded less than you cared to admit, and you smiled back in return.

Nobody noticed the odd look Riku had on his face. 

“ _My name is Jo-nas._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter I have fully written, so updates are not going to be as regular as they have been, because I Am Slow.
> 
> Thanks! :)
> 
>  **BONUS**  
>  Costumes, costumes, costumes! Cloud was in his Advent Children outfit, Riku in his KH2 outfit, Sora in his Halloweentown costume, Roxas in his Org cloak, and Axel was dressed as Sid Vicious.


	12. Only Ones Who Know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things get a lil raunchy in this chapter.
> 
> Song link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d82zxqZHUo8

After three generations of equally grumpy men all named Cid running The Highwind, nothing about the bar had changed. The dark wood floors still stood in stark contrast to whitewashed walls, tiny but sturdy windows lined the ceiling, and behind the bar was an incredibly dangerous and perfectly sharpened spear that was fastened securely by a series of metal brackets. Not as securely as Cid had hoped, considering the one summer he’d caught Cloud and Zack trying to smuggle it through the back door for their senior prank. The eldest Strife boy swore he still had nightmares of the wine cellar he’d been forced to scrub clean in punishment. 

The modest stage was a remnant of a particularly embarrassing karaoke boom in the 70s, and the makeshift green room in the back from a mildly illegal paopu sugar running scheme (if you asked Cid he’d deny everything). The building was brimming with history and stories that you listened to with an amused wrinkle of your nose as Roxas relayed everything to you. Honestly, given the natural ability for the Strife twins to rattle on without any hesitation you were surprised they didn’t become self-proclaimed tour guides.

“Hey.” A large hand landed on Roxas’s head. “You did good.” 

Roxas crossed his eyes as he stared up at the offending appendage, shaking it off a moment later. “Yeah. You too, man.” He and Cloud stared impassively at each other for a minute before they both smiled and launched into an affectionate hug that had a few too many elbows flying out. Sora lunged towards them with all the grace of a new born giraffe and was swallowed into the pair, the copious amounts of black clothing blending into the night sky.

“Every fucking time,” Axel muttered, waving a lazy hand at Cid yelling at him to “finish your damn beer inside”. He drained the bottle and set it on the sill as Yuffie yelled that she wasn’t his maid at his back. Roxas extricated himself from his brothers and sauntered over to Axel, slapping a hand on his back with a sharp clap.

“You were okay.” 

Axel rolled his eyes. “Thanks, bud.” He returned the slap with an equal amount of force, Roxas’s jaw clenching as he fought back a tiny yelp of pain. “Cloud, let’s go. Lex texted. His Halloween party just started and I don’t want to miss any of the shit that’s going to go down.” He ruffled Roxas’s hair as the shorter boy yelped, hopping away and trying to quickly comb it back into place. “Maybe you’ll be old enough to come next year,” he said with a toothy grin.

“We’re not bringing my seventeen-year-old brothers to a frat party,” Cloud said with a frown, adjusting the dark goggles resting on his head. “We already end up babysitting most of our friends.”

“Hey!” Demyx’s indignation was short-lived as he tripped over his own foot, nearly slamming face first into a parking sign.

“My point exactly.”

“Just don’t let me pass out in the tub this year,” the guitarist said sullenly, hoisting his pants up onto his hips as he stalked over to his car. 

“I’ll text you when I’m down next,” Axel said to Roxas as the two fist-bumped. “See you guys around.” The nerves building in your stomach settled slightly when he didn’t make a move in your direction, though you felt oddly deflated at the lack of action. Not that you wanted him to! No way, no how. It was relief flooding your body not disappointment, you told yourself. You tried not to feel guilty as you stood next to Riku, mumbling half-hearted goodbyes to the other boys and trying not to look at Axel. Silly of you to presume that he was going to follow you around like a lost puppy, trying to gobble up any scraps of attention you were going to give him.

Then he stopped, turned, and looked at Tidus as he said, “And uh…I’d watch how you move. You almost unplugged a couple cords during your last song.” 

Tidus went red and puffed up, his fists clenching as he squawked and scrambled for something witty to say in return. Axel flashed a quick grin, gave you a saucy wink, and disappeared into the back seat. 

~*~

Somehow despite the looming threat of midterms hanging over everyone’s head, Tidus’s conversation points bounced back and forth between Axel, Thirteen, battle of the bands, and Axel again. A few muttered comments about his unsolicited advice were sprinkled in, and despite the bevy of bruises littering his arms and head (courtesy of Roxas and Riku), he kept on beating the thoroughly dead horse with a well-worn stick. 

“Like who the fuck does he think he is telling me what to do? Like we’re supposed to all be dead inside and care about what people think about us—” 

“We do care about what people think.”

“—and just be a bunch of pretentious douchebags on stage? And YOU,” he pointed the end of his burrito at Sora, “thanks for livestreaming them and getting them a hundred new followers. Do you know how many people we have following us on Instagram? 90. Do you know how many they have now?” He took in a deep breath with such intensity the air almost whistled as it went in. “2000. TWO. FUCKING. GRAND.”

“Sit DOWN, Mr. Zanarkand.”

Tidus mumbled an apology at the lunch monitor and slid back into his seat. “Way to help the team out, Sor.”

“Yeah, sorry for not using my third arm to livestream while I was playing guitar,” Sora said as he rested his head in the palm of his hand, skimming the pages of his French textbook. 

“You just keep letting me down, man. If this keeps up, I’m going to have to have a serious sit down with you mano a mano.” Tidus folded his hands together, trying to level the other boy with a serious look. 

“Va te faire foutre.” 

Tidus took a vicious bite of his lunch. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Roxas licked a finger and flipped a cue card to the back of the stack in his hands. “Fuck you.”

“Hey fuck you too, dipshit.”

“No, jackass. It means ‘fuck you’.” Roxas smirked, his blue eyes crinkling as he stifled his laughter.

“Nope, we’re not doing this right now,” you said firmly, putting a hand on Tidus’s arm and forcefully dragging him back down into his chair. You handed Roxas another stack of cue cards covered in miniscule notes and smudged ink. “Give me your part of our art history presentation first, and then you can try and fight him all you want.”

Tidus grinned at you in what he hoped was a charming, roguish way. “So, I was thinking I’d make my part a little more interactive to really get the people going.” 

You eyed him warily, not buying his sweet expression for a second. “What does that mean?” 

“Let me show you!” Without further ado Tidus leapt out of his seat, dragging you through the cafeteria in five seconds flat and leaving the doors swinging wildly behind the two of you. Roxas sighed and closed his book.

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t maim her.” Bidding the remaining two boys goodbye, he trailed after the pair of you. 

The second his twin was gone Sora raced around the table in an impressive one-man race and slid down the bench at supersonic speed. “So what’d you get (Name) for her birthday?” 

Riku looked blankly at him. “What?”

“Birthday. Her birthday? It’s in like two weeks.” Sora’s eyes steadily narrowed as he looked at his best friend, bafflement etching its way across his face as his brows lowered. “You didn’t know? You don’t have her on insta? Facebook? Anything?”

“I don’t creep people like you do,” Riku spluttered, resisting the urge to lean away from Sora’s steadily approaching face, the unspoken accusations flying like barbed arrows. 

Sora groaned and slammed his head against the table. “You’re hopeless. You’ve been going out for how long now and you don’t even know when her birthday is?”

“We’ve been busy.”

“Yeah. Busy. Sure,” Sora snorted. “Well next time take your tongue out of her mouth for two seconds and talk to her!”

“Right. Because ‘when’s your birthday’ gets shit real hot and heavy. Thanks, Sora. Real helpful.”

“No, you jackass. You’re too far gone for that shit now just...” Sora let out a deep sigh, rubbing the heel of his hand into his eye as he surveyed his best friend. “You’re lucky I love you.”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

“I wrote her a song.” 

“Okay, Tidus.”

“Do you want my help or nah?”

Riku waved him on with a gesture, forking more pasta into his mouth. It was useless to try and entertain the possibility that Sora would stoop to Tidus’s level. It was like trying to imagine a baby panda applying for the space exploration program. 

“All you gotta do is keep her busy for the day. NOT like that,” Sora tacked on, eyes narrowing at the lascivious eyebrow raise Riku gave him. “Bring her by our house later and I’ll just pretend you did the whole fucking thing, you lazy bum.”

Riku grinned, lightly knocking his best friend on the head. “I owe you.” He slid his pudding cup over. 

“This isn’t second grade,” Sora grumbled, but he snatched up the dessert anyway. 

“Whatever, man. What’s the song?”

“Epic love ballad,” Sora said his voice thick as he ate. “Like Romeo and Juliet.”

“Sora, they died.”

“Minus that part.”

Riku groaned and carded a hand through his hair. “Fuck me.”

Several giggles erupted from his left and he arched a silver brow at Olette and Selphie as they scurried past, Pence looking miffed as he trailed behind them. 

“Hi, Riku. Sora,” Selphie cooed, her eyes batting prettily as she tossed them a coy look over her shoulder.

Riku frowned, his appetite suddenly gone. “What was that? She hasn’t spoken to us since Tidus ghosted her last year.” 

“It’s ‘cause we’re in a band,” Sora said, mimicking her fluttering eyelashes as he flipped his hair. “We’re edgy and deep now.” He bit his lip and flashed his best attempt of a smouldering look at a table of freshmen. The gaggle of girls eyed him nervously, a few of them clutching their lunch trays a little closer to their chests. 

“You look like you’re trying not to shit yourself.”

“Sorry we weren’t all born brooding and mysterious like you,” Sora quipped as his targets noticed Riku looking in their direction and almost immediately simultaneously started giggling and making doe eyes in his direction. “Y’know, Tidus has a point. If we just posted pictures of you on our insta we’d get a ton of followers. We could use your six pack as clickbait. Come for the abs, stay for Tidus’s shitty dance moves.”

Riku snorted. “Right. You got anything started?”

Sora pulled a well-worn notebook out of his back in a flurry of loose-leaf paper. Half of the front cover was missing, most of the pages were dog-eared, and Riku had to pointedly ignore the tiny “Kairi + Sora” written in the upper right corner. The sight of Sora carefully opening the book up to the right page and gently smoothing his hand down the crease despite the already well-worn spine was a fond sight, and one Riku had been well acquainted with since the eighth grade. 

“It’s pretty simple, but Cloud’s got a couple of pedals and things I want to try out with this.” Sora scratched the tip of his nose as he surveyed the scribbled chords and lyrics. “Wakka said he might have a brass slide kicking around he’s not using and I just need to find a way to get it totally smooth and then…yeah.” He patted the page. “Take a look.”

For as long as he’d known Sora, Riku knew that the younger boy was a rarity, and this was a point that held especially true in the throes of adolescence. Sora was about as straightforward as one could be. He was direct with his feelings and his warmth, letting his emotions out bold and wild like bright primary colours on a blank canvas. His love was simple and uncomplicated, generous and welcoming. If Cloud was Rina’s sweetheart and Roxas was her demon child, Sora was her sunshine. Somehow despite being stuck in between Riku’s gloomy pubescent sulking and Roxas’s destructive tendencies once he realized that the voice cracking was here to stay, Sora had breezed through any and all emotional pitfalls with the lightness of feather on the wind and ended up with more emotional stability, kindness, and maturity than anybody gave him credit for. 

But Riku wasn’t about to tell him any of that.

“You’re such a sap, Sora,” he said with a chuckle when he finished reading, flipping the notebook closed as he looked his best friend in the eye. “I can’t believe you were doing this for her. You trying to steal my girl?”

Sora just smiled. “Nah. I’m doing it because she’s my friend. I want her to be happy.” Just like that, Riku was struck dumb by the simplicity and honesty of his answer; he could only stare fish-mouthed at his friend.

Sora carefully tucked the notebook back in his backpack, then he pulled a face and threw his empty pudding cup at Riku’s head. “You too I guess.” The bell rang and he shouldered his bag on, humming as he walked away. “Oh, and Riku?”

“Yeah?”

“You have pudding in your hair.”

~*~

“Don’t ask.”

Riku quickly closed his mouth, pressing his lips together in a sad attempt to keep his smile at bay as he watched Sora brushing copious amounts of glitter out of your hair.

“Do I want to know what happened? Where do you even get this much glitter?”

“It came out of nowhere,” Roxas said through gritted teeth, a few shiny specks flying out of his mouth. “One second he’s pulling off his shirt the next he’s throwing water balloons stuffed with this shit across the room.”

“I think he yelled, “vive la resistance” before it happened,” you grumbled, shaking out your clothes. 

Sora eyed his sparkly hands, the sunlight sending a cascade of tiny blue pinpricks across his face. “What was your presentation even about?” 

You gave him a pained look. “Impressionism during the industrial revolution.”

Riku choked on his laugh, coughing wildly to try and cover it. “Come on, let’s get you home. You guys look like you murdered a unicorn or something.” 

By the time you and Riku bid the twins goodbye, Roxas was shedding less of the sparkly stuff behind him as he walked. If one looked closely, however, they’d see a faint sparkle trailing behind him. A few passersby soaking in the afternoon sun did a doubletake as they watched him walk by, his dark expression a startling contrast to the airy glimmer that surrounded him. 

“He’s never living this down,” Riku chuckled, already trying to plan how to funnel as much glitter as possible into all future presents. 

“You should’ve seen his face after it happened. I thought Tidus was dead for sure.” You had such a fond expression on your face Riku couldn’t help himself, stealing a kiss before you fully registered what was going on. He pulled a face and plucked a piece of glitter off his tongue.

“This stuff is everywhere,” he muttered, gently trying to brush your mouth clean. He paused and lightly brushed his finger underneath your lower lip, eliciting a quiet sigh. Riku trailed his hand slowly to cup the back of your head and you tilted your face up to his for a light kiss. When you broke apart, he couldn’t resist going in a few more, his nose nuzzling against yours as you looked at each other through half-lidded eyes.

Your hands slid around his waist to link at his back, pressing your body as close to his as possible, your mouth a hairsbreadth from his. “You have glitter all over your face now.” 

“Small price to pay,” he murmured, kissing you again. His tongue licked lightly at yours and you had to fight to keep the soft groan rising in your throat down as you pressed the pads of your fingers into his lower back. Riku could feel his mind blanking, his body running on instinct and searching for more contact, more pleasure, more heat, more anything that you could give him. His fingers itched to slide their way down your spine and cup your ass, squeezing just to hear what noise you’d make. 

“Get a room!” a voice yelled, raucous laughter trailing away the car sped away. You flushed as you pulled away from Riku, torn between shifting closer and moving away.

“It’s probably too late to go to the island, huh?” you asked hopefully, your eyes hazy and mouth puckered. 

Riku swallowed thickly. “Don’t tempt me.” He cleared his throat. “Your birthday’s in a couple weeks, right?”

You took a step back in surprise, and he mourned the loss of your hands on his body as they dropped to your sides. “Yes…I’m surprised you know that.” Relishing the pleased expression on your face, he chose not to tell you the truth of the matter.

“How about I take you out for the day, and then later we can do whatever you want?” Admittedly he didn’t mean for it to sound as suggestive as it did, but you were soft and warm in his arms, and the taste of your lips still lingered on his tongue. You hummed with happiness, the sound rumbling through his chest.

“Whatever I want, huh?”

God.

From anyone else he’d be scoffing at how contrived the response was, but as it was his pupils dilated and he peppered several hot kisses across your cheeks and jaw, not trusting himself enough to chance your mouth.

“Whatever you want,” he confirmed, punctuating each word with the press of his lips. You smiled at him, slow and sultry and he sighed heavily. “Christ, you’re going to kill me. Or Hiro’s going to if you don’t go home right now.” 

He reluctantly pulled himself away after one final kiss to the forehead, watching you walk away from him and willing himself to resist pulling you back. Shaking his head, he loosened his tie and walked indoors, not even bothering to pretend like he wasn’t making a beeline for the bathroom. 

Two weeks later Riku was kicking himself for not braving a potentially populated play island for some alone time with you, as your incredibly busy midterm schedules only had enough room for short walks to and from school together. After fourteen days of staring wistfully at your bedroom window and wondering if you were thinking about him or if you were **thinking** about him, a few too many loads of laundry, and more scholastic information crammed into his brain than he’d care to admit, he was touch starved. 

That coupled with Tidus texting him every single night if he had any ideas for battle of the bands, Sora sending him video clips of the song he was writing, and Roxas texting him to tell him to text Tidus back so Tidus would stop texting the twins, Riku was about at wits end. He had to work to keep from jiggling his knee during his last midterm, fighting to regurgitate historical dates and facts in his essay. Finishing with a flourish, he slammed the paper on his teacher’s desk, gave Ms. Shimomura a curt nod, and walked out the door.

“Riku!” He glanced over at the girl calling his name, his eyes sliding past her to where Kairi was standing at her side, her expression a mess of conflicting emotions. With a flicker of surprise, he realized they hadn’t spoken since their confrontation in the classroom. She defiantly looked steadily at him, and then something wavered and she had to look away, crossing her arms tight across her chest. He half-heartedly lifted his hand in a wave as the other girl continued to yell at his retreating back,” Wait, I was wondering what you got for question five…!” 

Kairi peeked to the side and watched him walk away, chewing the inside of her cheek. Beside her, Shiki huffed and placed her hands on her hips.

“I can’t believe he ignored me. See if I let him get to second base again.”

Kairi grabbed the strap of her messenger bag. “Shiki.”

“Hm?”

“Please stop talking.” 

Riku meanwhile was already metaphorical miles away from the unfolding drama as an increasing angry Shiki yelled at a decidedly impassive Kairi, his pace quickening when he saw you waiting at the school entrance. 

“Hey—” He was cut off abruptly by Tidus looping an arm through his and yanking, throwing him off balance and leaving his hands and mouth unfortunately unoccupied with yours.

“Nope. Emergency band meeting tonight because battle of the bands is in two weeks,” Tidus said firmly. “You got your dry humping day pass a couple weeks ago.” When Riku began to protest, Tidus locked his elbow so tight Riku almost winced. 

“And,” the blitzballer whispered quickly, “me, Rox, and Sora have been busting our asses in between studying working on your goddamn birthday present for her so I’d say you owe us one right now.” 

Riku’s mouth snapped shut as he silently conceded, saluting you apologetically as he was swept past. Looked like it was another night of long showers. You waved back, trying to keep your disappointment at bay. Great.

“Hey! (Name)!”

You blinked and looked around, trying to pinpoint the location of the voice. Selphie was waving enthusiastically at you, bouncing up and down on her toes as she beckoned you over. Oh boy. Olette grinned when you arrived, her ‘hello’ distinctly more subdued. “What’re you doing tonight?”

You smiled weakly. “Probably just watching tv—”

“Great, so you’re free! Come get fro-yo with us.” Selphie looked at you, cutely tilting her head to the side. Something in her green eyes made it very clear that it wasn’t a question. The entire walk to the ice cream parlour was filled with non-stop chatter as the two girls (mostly Selphie) filled you in on all the gossip you’d missed while safe in your little bubble of boys, like Shiki and Kairi getting into a screaming match ten minutes ago (boring), Fuu catching Rai and Seifer drunkenly kissing (scandalous), and rumours that Wakka was secretly in a long distance relationship with a gang leader (what?). 

Thankfully with her incessant chattering you didn’t feel pressured to join the conversation at all, happily keeping yourself preoccupied with eating and occasionally nodding just so she knew you were listening…kind of. Then when you were lulled into a false sense of security, blissed out on sprinkles and cheesecake chunks, she struck.

“So! You and Riku!” She leaned in conspiratorially. “What’s he like?”

“What?” You looked at Olette, but she just shrugged at you.

“Like is he a good kisser, what’s he like as a boyfriend, all that stuff! He only like, seriously dated Kairi, but that was ages ago.” You opened your mouth to speak, but Selphie swiftly cut you off. “And it’s not exactly like he’s been hooking up with anybody else lately so you’re the only one who has any deets.”

“Hooking up…?”

“Uh…yeah! Have you seen him?” Selphie sighed dreamily. “I’d give my left arm to spend one hour with him, but no, instead I got Tidus.” She stuck out her tongue as Olette snorted.

“You didn’t seem to mind,” Olette teased.

“Until I found out he was a total fuckboy. You can’t even talk,” she said with a haughty sniff. “You’ve got Pence falling all over himself to actually romance you and you still won’t go out with him.”

Olette flushed and squeaked. “He’s like my brother! We’ve known each other forever, and it’d be weird if I started dating him—”

“But you don’t think that about Hayner,” Selphie said slyly, a catlike grin on her lips. Your head was spinning from the conversational whiplash and you held up a hand.

“Wait, what were you saying about Riku?”

“Keep up, girl.” Selphie pointed a manicured finger at you. “Riku’s hot. Everybody knows that, including Riku. He’s been like, the alpha male of his grade since he was in kindergarten because he can get whatever he wants.” She made a show of fanning herself, giggling. “Like, **whatever** he wants. Remember when you made out with him in the ninth grade?”

Olette blushed and looked guiltily at you. “It was seven minutes in heaven,” she explained awkwardly, trying to gauge your reaction.

“I bet it was,” Selphie laughed. “I still can’t believe you just made out with him. We deliberately left you guys in there for twenty minutes. Dona got to third with him in half the time; but of course he ended up dating Princess Kairi, the love of his life.” She blew her bangs out of her face and leaned towards you as she rolled her eyes. “And you know what a total mess that was.”

You felt like your head had been stuffed with cotton, the sudden influx of information too much to handle as you mutely shook your head. Olette let out a surprised “Oh!” at your admission, and she and Selphie exchanged a look.

“I don’t know if we should tell her,” Olette said hesitantly. 

“She deserves to know,” Selphie muttered, Olette twisting her napkin in her hands.

“Shouldn’t he tell her, though?”

“Who knows if he will! It’s Riku! He’s about as easy to read as a broken canoe!” She looked quickly at you. “No offense.”

“None taken,” you replied drily.

“Okay.” Selphie spread her hands flat on the table, her expression serious. “We’ll tell you, but you can’t tell anybody.”

“I think I’m the only person who doesn’t know,” you pointed out, irritated and slightly amused in spite of yourself.

She waved you off, rolling her eyes. “You know what I mean. Let me set the stage for you.” She steepled her fingers and gave you a very long, searching look while you squirmed uncomfortably in your seat. 

“Okay, girl. Pay attention. Since they were babies Sora and Riku have been best friends. And I mean Best Friends, like if they ended up marrying each other nobody would be surprised. Then fast-forward a couple of years and suddenly Kairi’s here, okay?”

“And Axel,” Olette interjected. Both girls sighed.

“Mmhm, and Axel,” Selphie agreed, then clapped her hands to get herself back on track. “So! They all become friends and everything’s great, and suddenly there’s this love triangle out of nowhere and we’re all like ‘okay, so one of them will end up marrying Kairi’. Total heartbreak across the island because hello, Riku is to die for and he’s pretty much been claimed.”

“But then puberty hit.” Olette took a sip of her milkshake, tucking a curl behind her ear. “And suddenly he wasn’t so interested in just holding hands and kissing on the cheek.”

“No, he wasn’t.” There was a brief pause as the two of them reminisced. “He was so hot back then.”

Olette nodded furiously. “Remember when he wore that yellow tank top—”

“With the blue pants?! I think I died that day,” Selphie said with a laugh, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. 

“And then what happened?” you prodded impatiently; your ice cream melted as you stirred it in incessantly. 

“And then last year,” Selphie leaned in and dropped her voice to a whisper, “he stopped being a total sloo all of a sudden. Like out of nowhere. Wouldn’t touch anybody, wouldn’t talk to anybody. It was super weird. Nobody was okay with it; I think Rinoa actually cried when she realized he wouldn’t sleep with her.” 

“We just thought he was growing up,” Olette admitted. “I honestly thought he was going to get a girlfriend or something.”

“But it turned out he already had one!” Selphie quietly shrieked as she pounded her fist on the table. “We found out like eight months later that he was dating Kairi. And this was when he was starting to hit peak Riku. Growing out his hair, working out more, getting all mysterious and edgy and I was so. Jealous.” 

“His hair looks so good.” Olette said wistfully, her eyes slightly dazed.

“Anyway, so we all find out he’s dating Kairi and we’re all heart broken, but you know…kind of happy for her because we kind of figured it was going to happen eventually.” Selphie’s cheeks were flushed as she leaned in even closer to you and stage whispered, “And then the very next day, we found out—”

“She was dating Sora at the same time.” The three of you snapped your heads up, varying expressions on your faces as Naminé coolly looked down at you, her cup of frozen yogurt in one delicate hand. “And she didn’t tell them or anyone, really, because it’s nobody’s business.” 

“When you’re playing with someone’s feelings like that I kind of think it is their business,” you shot back, fighting the tiny voice that whispered _really_ in the back of your mind.

Naminé gave you a long, searching look, her face calm as she considered whatever she saw written all over your face. You tried to rid yourself of any emotions, willing yourself to be as inscrutable as her. Granted you didn’t have the grounds to badmouth Kairi, but it did nothing to quell the part of you that wanted to hurt the person who hurt your friends.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” was all she said, her tone brooking no argument as she walked away. Through the window you saw her join Kairi and Xion, not even sparing another glance in your direction. Kairi looked at each person at your table in turn, her mouth set in a firm line as she walked away.

After that the mood quickly deflated and the three of you went your separate ways, Selphie forcing you to promise that one day you’d fill her in on the details of yours and Riku’s relationship. Fat chance, but you weren’t about to say that to her face. 

By the time you made it home your family had already eaten without you, a plate of leftovers sitting in the fridge a guilty reminder that you’d failed to let anyone know you’d be late coming home. With your food in one hand and cutlery in the other, you paused at the entrance of the living room. Your father and Hiro were sitting there quietly watching a show. Hiro looked at you and you held your breath, anticipating a biting remark. He turned away and you sighed in relief. Evidently whatever had transpired between the two of you at Halloween still had a tenuous hold on your relationship. Settling into the couch, you quietly ate.

“What’re you doing for your birthday?”

You almost jumped out of your skin at the sudden question, Hiro’s voice loud above the quiet murmur of the tv. “Riku’s taking me out during the day,” you said quietly. “And then I think Sora, Roxas, and Tidus wanted to get dinner at night.” 

“That’s pretty tame.” If that was an invitation for an argument, you ignored it. You didn’t want to shatter the idyllic living room. “Still with Riku, huh?”

He was making it hard to keep your tongue in check. “Yes.”

“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing.” 

You wanted to see the expression on his face, but the flashing colours of the tv made it hard to make it out. Hiro didn’t look your way once for the rest of the hour, choosing instead to divide his attention between an incredibly fake looking shoot-out scenes and his phone. At one point you concentrated particularly hard and managed to make out that he was texting Vivi, a fact that made you warm up to him a little more. 

The show finished and Hiro turned the screen off, doing his best not to rouse your father where he was quietly snoring in his armchair. He paused for a second as he walked past you, and then gently nudged your shoulder with the knuckle of his index finger.

“Have fun tomorrow.”

Then he was gone. 

~*~

“You’re trying to kill me.”

Riku chuckled as he watched you eyeing the cases of pastries spread before you, your breath fogging up the glass from how incredibly close you were to them. You could feel saliva pooling in your mouth as you stared down puff pastries stuffed with cream, croissants topped with toasted almonds and powdered sugar, and lord help the person who tried to stop you from eating one of each beignet. The soft, sugar coated doughnuts were piled temptingly high on large silver platters. Not to be outdone, a rainbow of perfectly shaped macarons filled another case, and several glass-domed stands boasted a varied selection of tiny tarts and gâteaux. 

“Get whatever you want.” He grinned as you whipped around to look at him.

“I want one of everything,” you insisted.

He smirked, cocky as he put a hand in his pocket. “I could make that happen. Just for you, though.” His expression shifted, mischievous. “Just don’t tell Sora or he’ll murder you.” 

Eventually you managed to bring your selection down from twenty items to a modest three, a glass of ice-cold lemonade beside you because, as Riku insisted, it was infinitely better than the sludge they served at the arcade. 

“Holy shit, I’m in heaven,” you moaned around a bite of cake, making a series of incredibly breathy noises as you let the cream melt on your tongue. Riku’s brow furrowed as he looked at you. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

“Nah. I just think I’m jealous of a cake.”

You blushed at his smug look, and took a long sip of your drink. “Gross. That was embarrassing,” you mumbled, your ears still turning hot in spite of your feigned disdain. 

Taking another sip of your lemonade purely to avoid looking him in the eye, you had to bite back another noise of deep-seated satisfaction. He was right. The cool tang of this lemonade put all others to shame. You drained half your glass in one go, much to Riku’s amusement. “What?” 

“Nothing. Just didn’t know you were that thirsty.” He ignored your scandalized expression in favour of gesturing at your chewed-up straw. “I forgot you did that. Can’t take you anywhere, huh?” 

You sniffed, prodding at your cake as you tried to keep from smiling. You wanted to snap back something along the lines of it being your birthday and him being required to be as sweet as pie, but the soft look in his eyes softened your tongue and made your heart stutter a beat. Sensing the silence stretching a little too long, he reached out a finger and grazed the back of your knuckles, lightly tracing each one. 

“I just messing with you,” he murmured softly, slowly prying your fingers free of your glass to loop around his. “So…what d’you want to do next?”

The way he looked at you made a fire ignite inside your body, spreading from the hand he was still lightly tracing down to your toes and back up again. Everything Selphie and Olette had said was clamouring for attention in your mind as you soaked in the sight before you. The sharp jaw, the skin that was somehow managing to glow in the unforgiving fluorescent light, the cool, sea-green eyes that were heady with something that sent the world’s least subtle shiver down your spine… Everything about him screamed a deliciously dirty promise, and you were about ten seconds away from pushing the table to the side and leaping on him then and there. Third base in ten minutes, huh? You were sure you could get it down to five.

Riku smirked, a small smug smile as he sat up a little straighter and let his eyes slide to half-mast. He nonchalantly jerked his head towards the door and you were instantly nodding, rapid-fire fast as you didn’t trust yourself to speak. He stood and pulled you to your feet and then paused, looking back at the table.

“You didn’t finish your cake.”

You looked down at the offending bite and deliberated if you wanted to take the extra five seconds to shovel the remaining piece into your mouth. Nope. No way. That was taking precious time away from having other things in your mouth. Your neck warmed at the sudden turn your mind took and you shook your head.

“Fuck the cake,” you replied, maybe a little breathier than you’d like to admit as you all but dragged him out of the bakery. 

The subsequent twenty minutes wreaked havoc on your nerves as the two of you drove around town, trying not so subtly to find a private place to park. The play island, it was decided, would most definitely be populated by families on such a sunny weekend afternoon. The park was equally occupied, as was the beach and just about every single one of the sparse side streets that island had to offer. And so…that led to your current situation.

“This is the best we’ve got.”

You craned your neck to look out the rear window, the parking lot almost eerily empty. “I can’t believe we’re at school on a weekend,” you laughed, stretching your arms above your head. Riku’s hand tightened a little on your thigh and you tingled. It was your turn to smirk as you prodded at his side playfully, murmuring, “Wanna go make out behind the bleachers?” 

He returned your grin, albeit bashfully. “We’re too small of a school for that. I think we have maybe three benches and that’s it.”

“You’re joking.”

“Island life.”

You huffed, setting aside your MTV fantasies for now to crawl gracelessly into the backseat, yelping when he lightly pinched your butt. Your smile turned coy and you patted the space beside you, winking at him. It was all the prompting he needed to clamber into the back, narrowly squashing you in the process (though you couldn’t think of more pleasant ways to die), and landing neatly beside you.

He let out a breath in a puff, stirring the hair already starting to stick to his forehead from the heat. “Hey.”

You gently brushed them to the side. “Hi.”

He reached out a hand and cupped the side of your face, and you eagerly met him in the middle, your hands automatically finding his thigh. Your kisses were hungry and desperate, both of your bodies quickly reminding themselves of some very unfinished business from a few weeks ago. His hand brushed through your hair to lightly tug on it and you moaned softly against his mouth, nipping at his bottom lip in retaliation.

Everything felt too hot, like always, the windows of his car swiftly steaming up. Every press and slide of his hands on your body felt like it was branded onto your skin. Every single sigh he let out rumbled through his chest and sent a tremor racing through yours. You felt slightly dizzy, nearly overwhelmed by the taste of his tongue as it delicately pressed against yours, the way his hands were roaming and squeezing whenever they found a spot they particularly liked. Everything about him felt like it was drowning you and you were all too willing to be pulled down. 

You swung your leg across him and straddled him, cupping his face with both your hands. He mimicked your pose, his thumbs gently sweeping across your cheeks as you slowly pulled away. You wanted him to always look like this: flushed and panting. His lips were slightly swollen and his hair ruffled, small beads of sweat collecting across his forehead. His hands travelled down your neck and over your shoulders, eliciting a shudder from you that had you pressing up as close as you could to his chest. Without thinking, you pulled your shirt off and over your head, tossing it to the side. 

Riku swallowed thickly and let his hands flutter across your lower back, his eyes darting between your chest and a droplet of sweat trailing down towards your bellybutton.

“It’s too hot.” Your voice was thick and heady with want. You very carefully sank your body down so your hips were flush with his, eliciting a soft groan when the full weight of your body met the bulge in his pants.

“Fuck,” he whispered, and kissed a pattern only he could see along the swell of your breasts. “ **You’re** too hot.” 

Your needy mouth found his again and this time you didn’t both muffling your voice as you ground into him, his hands finally cupping the curve of your ass and squeezing hard. You rocked up against him until he broke away with a gasp, looping an arm around your lower back and flipping you so quickly you squealed as your back hit the seat. Your legs were awkwardly bent, your head was about an inch from digging into some very unforgiving plastic, and the upholstery was far too warm against your skin, but then Riku peeled his shirt off and you forgot all of that.

There had to be some poorly written poems about this man’s beauty somewhere, floating on some obscure bathroom stall in the school behind you. You wouldn’t be surprised to learn there had been wars waged over him; in fact, you finally managed to fathom **why** Rinoa cried after finding out he was taken. You reached out reverent hands to trace along his chest, feeling the firm muscle underneath his incredibly soft skin. 

You were awestruck, your eyes wide and nearly drooling as you managed to squeak out, “Holy shit.”

“Like what you see?” That cocky smirk was back on his face and you wanted to wipe it off but also lick it off him, so you went with both. Not even phased, he granted your unspoken request and melted back against you, your hands flying to his back to trace across his shoulder blades. He rolled his hips against yours and you dug your nails into his flesh, his head snapping up with a hiss.

“Take it easy,” he said huskily, nudging his nose against yours. “We still have dinner tonight.”

“Do we have to go?” You pressed a light kiss to the corner of his mouth.

Oh, he was tempted to give in. Incredibly tempted. So tempted he started running through a million plausible excuses to send Sora. Yet, considering Sora had sacrificed his birthday present to cover for Riku’s dumb ass, had coordinated a small party surprisingly quickly, and his last words had been “don’t lose track of time trying to suck her soul out of her mouth”, he didn’t think the two of you would get away with it.

Kissing you briefly, he sighed and dropped his head to your shoulder. “We should.” It took too much effort forcing those two words out. It was possibly the most non-committal answer he could give, if he was honest. You seemed to agree, as one of your hands tickled its way down his back, your lips brushing against his ear.

“But we don’t have to…” Your hand traced the waistband of his jeans, and his traitorous hips jerked ever so slightly forward as he let out a shuddery breath.

Riku opened his mouth to speak and you quickly tucked his earlobe between your teeth, lightly biting it as your hand wiggled its way past his jeans to brush against his cock.

“Yeah, but— Fuck.” He pressed his forehead harder into your shoulder, blushing when he felt the telltale curve of a smile against his ear. Total K.O. He’d lost before he even started.

You giggled, sweet and light in his ear and he bit your shoulder in response. “You were saying?” Your hand squeezed past his fly to fully wrap around his erection, your head light as the ache between your thighs intensified.

“God. Damn it,” he bit out, turning his head to meet yours in a sloppy kiss. You didn’t have much in the way of mobility, but he was doing more than enough to make up for it by slowly rutting his hips into your hand, languid circles that left him needy and your throat dry. Very carefully he removed your hand and you whined lowly at the loss, placated by him popping the button of his jeans and unzipping them.

“They spent so much time planning this party for you. They’re going to hate us,” he whispered, pushing your hands away as you reached for him. You looked at him quizzically.

“Party…?” 

His eyes widened guiltily and he quickly kissed you again until you couldn’t remember what you were talking about. He palmed your breasts, pinching your nipples through your bra and making your back arch as you angled for more. His eyes were dark and focussed, watching the journey his fingers made down from your chest to your thighs, his palms gliding overs your hips and stopping achingly close to where you wanted him to touch. His fingers spread apart as his thumbs traced firm circles into the pliant flesh of your inner thighs.

Riku flicked his eyes up to look at you, the sinful curve of his lips promising more than you could possibly imagine as his right hand brushed along the center seam of your shorts. 

_DING! DING!_

Both of you glanced towards the front of the car where your phones were. When nothing else happened, you instantly re-locked eyes, the pad of his thumb pressing a little firmer against you as you panted. His smile widened, a tiny sliver of teeth peeking through his lips as he slowly rubbed up and down, his other hand still kneading your leg.

“Payback time,” he breathed, and undid your shorts with a deft hand. You angled your hips up to help him wiggle them down, letting them hang loosely from one leg as he pushed your legs apart. A high, keening noise escaped you and you blushed fiercely at how desperate it sounded. He laughed, low and rough and felt yourself get wetter when he said, “’M gonna make you do that again.”

_DING!_

_DING!_

_DING DING DING DING DING!_

Riku growled and reached away from you to grab his phone, doing his best to crush it in his fist as he unlocked it.

**2 New Messages: Sora**

**Come by in 15! Don’t be late**

**Tidus will eat all the pizza if you don’t hurry**

**7 New Messages: Fuckface Zanarkand**

**Sora’s too nice, but I s2g if you miss this because you’re busy getting laid I’ll murder you**

**Or at least send Roxas after you**

**I busted my ass learning this shit for you (and her I guess) so don’t fuck this up**

**AND that’s on top of figuring out shit for BOTB which you haven’t done btw thanks for nothing**

**My VOICE is my INSTRUMENT and if you WASTE MY TIME I’m telling you right now I’ll get you FUCKED UP**

**You hear me?**

**FUCKED. UP.**

Seeing the heat slowly leave from Riku’s eyes as he read, you sighed, and flopped your head to the side. “We have to go, don’t we?”

“Unless you want them coming to look for us.”

You blanched at the thought of anybody stumbling across Riku’s fogged up car and somehow managing to discern all your bits and pieces through the misty windows. Particularly Tidus… “Okay, fine. But you need to promise we’re going to do something about this later.” You pointed at the two of you, alternating between his chest and your crotch a few times for good measure.

His tongue wickedly slid out to lick along his lower lip as he zeroed in on where you were you pointing to. He leaned in and shallowly dipped two fingers inside you, kissing you hotly as your breath hitched. “Anything for the birthday girl.”

After several minutes of desperately rolling down the windows, turning on the fan, the A/C, and some frantic wiping with a few old napkins, the two of you were on your way to the Strife house. You were squirming in your seat, trying to resist finishing what Riku started while Riku decided the best option was to read every single street sign he came across with desperate intensity. Nothing is more of a boner killer than reading Paopu Way followed by a ham-fisted Destiny Place with a straight face. Compounding his mental cold shower was the unpleasant sight of Axel walking down the Strife driveway, waving a lazy hand at Roxas who was leaning against the doorway and yelling something at his retreating back.

He looked at the two of you, a cigarette already in his mouth as he surveyed Riku’s swiftly darkening brow and your startled expression. He turned away without so much as a word or a nod, ducking into his car and driving away. You glanced at your phone and confirmed again that there weren’t any missed notifications, confused about what he had been doing here.

You chanced a peek in Riku’s direction. “He’s not here for...?” 

“No! No. Unless you want him to be.” The two of you stared at each other, trying to gauge the best thing to say as you both danced around the giant elephant in the room. It might as well have been seated in between you. 

Wait a second. The thought suddenly dawned on you that it shouldn’t matter. Axel was perfectly capable of doing whatever he wanted without letting you know, and assuming he’d only come visit to see you was incredibly self-centered. Besides you didn’t care if you saw him; you had Riku. As if to confirm your thoughts you slipped your hand into his, tightly twining your fingers together. 

“Are the two of you ever fucking moving or what?” Roxas yelled from the porch, rolling his eyes as you and Riku immediately sprang into action, speed-walking to the door. He eyeballed you then Riku as you tried not to fidget under his scrutiny. “Dude. Your fly’s open.” Turning swiftly on his heel he stalked into the house, leaving Riku to scramble with his pants as you flushed. 

You walked hastily after Roxas, nearly smacking into a wall when he took a sharp right into the laundry room. “Is it really that obvious?” you choked out, and he looked at you oddly, grimacing when he caught on.

“Oh, for the love of— NO. You’re both sick.” With that he slammed open the door to the garage with a flourish, startling the small group of people there. There was a shocked silence, and then,

“SURPRISE!” 

Sora scrambled forward and dragged you down the stairs, sitting you in a lawn chair heavily festooned with balloons and tinsel. With a bemused smile you waved at your parents, the pair of them standing awkwardly by Rina and Joji. Hiro was speaking quietly with Riku’s mother Mitsuki, but he cast a faint smile in your direction when he noticed you. Mira, on the other hand, was watching Sora like a hawk and looked like she nearly had a conniption when he placed a hand on her shoulder to gently scoot her out of the way to grab his guitar. 

Riku, meanwhile, sidled up beside Tidus and muttered, “Did you grab my bass on your way?”

Tidus blinked blankly. “What?” His eyes narrowed. “Why would I do that? …is this some kind of sex thing I don’t know about?”

Riku smacked the back of his head, elbowing his ‘friend’ when his sharp yelp nearly eclipsed the sound of small talk. “No, dumbass. What am I supposed to play on?”

“You’re not playing. Roxas is,” Tidus said slowly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He pointed over to where the aforementioned boy was uncomfortably holding what looked like one of Cloud’s old basses.

“Roxas can play?”

“We kept it nice and easy for him.” His eyebrows waggled. “You worried we’re gonna replace you?” He nimbly dodged Riku’s closed fist and scampered towards another chair beside you, gesturing for Riku to sit. As soon as that was done with Tidus cleared his throat and nodded, and Roxas slammed a fist against the garage door opener.

The cool breeze drifted in and Tidus smiled, all teeth and winks as he ruffled a hand through his hair. “Friends, family, you’ve all been invited here today to celebrate a very special occasion. We’ve only known each other a couple months, but we feel like it’s been years. Thanks for the stories, songs, and for putting up with this sucker here.” Riku rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless, slinging an arm across the back of your chair. “And now, here’s this basta— er, guy’s birthday present for you.”

Gently, Sora began to strum, his guitar wafting across the breeze. Tidus very carefully tapped a pedal with his toe and joined in, carefully watching the slide of his fingers. From the corner of your eye you saw your parents shuffle closer together, your father wrapping an arm around your mother’s waist. Rina was practically beaming as she watched Sora play, nodding encouragingly at Roxas when he glanced nervously up at her. 

“ _In a foreign place the saving grace was the feeling that it was a heart that he was stealing. Oh, he was ready to impress and the fierce excitement the eyes are bright; he couldn't wait to get away, and I bet that Juliet was just the icing on the cake. Make no mistake, no…_ ” Tidus paused and looked at you, unusually tender. 

“ _And even if somehow you could have shown you the place you wanted…well, I'm sure you could have made it that bit better on your own_.” For a magical moment it seemed like nothing else outside this house existed or mattered. For a few, precious minutes you forgot everything you’d been told, everything you’d done, and everything that led you up to this point here, and you leaned into Riku. 

“ _And I bet she told a million people that she'd stay in touch. Well, all the little promises - they don't mean much when there's memories to be made_ ,” Riku stiffened imperceptibly, “ _and I hope you're holding hands by New Years Eve._ ”

Behind Tidus, Sora was airily singing along, his voice faint under the reverberations of the guitars as his eyes slipped closed. He was swaying gently from side to side, a soft smile on his lips and your heart squeezed as you watched him. “ _They made it far too easy to believe that true romance can't be achieved these days._ ”

“ _And even if somehow they could have shown you the place you wanted well, I sure you could have made it that bit better on your own_.” You looked back at Tidus and the corners of his eyes crinkled kindly. “ _You are the only ones who know._ ”

Roxas, for all his shaking, smoothly joined the other two without faltering, steadily picking at the strings with the utmost concentration. The music faded and you noticed, to your surprise, that you’d teared up a little bit. Nearly falling out of your chair you ran forward and swept up Tidus in a hug, snatching wildly for Sora’s shirt until he joined the two of you, and waving at Roxas until he conceded with an embarrassed snort. 

“You guys are the best,” you said, your voice hoarse as you tried to keep back the tears. 

“Geez, man. Don’t cry,” Roxas muttered as he patted his pockets looking for a napkin. You laughed, swiping at your eyes with the back of your hands. 

Sora squeezed you again, patting your head. “There’s food in the kitchen.” Smiling gratefully at him, you darted past the concerned adults, waving aside their questions with a quick smile. There was a beat, and then the three boys kicked Riku out of his chair and sent him after you.

“He’s as dumb as a sack of bricks,” Roxas grumbled. Sora shrugged, his smiling never wavering.

“Yeah, well, he wouldn’t be Riku if he wasn’t.”

Riku found you in the kitchen wildly patting at your face with paper towels. He pulled you into a bear hug of his own, humming when you clung to the front of his shirt. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” You tilted your head back. “I got your shirt wet.”

“Needs to be washed anyway,” he said absentmindedly. You sighed and burrowed your face into his chest again.

“You’re great. Just…don’t stop being great.” It took him a minute to register what your incredibly muffled voice had said, and he chuckled. There was another low hum from him, and you took in a deep breath, the smell of laundry detergent and deodorant a dizzying cologne. 

His heartbeat picked up and you frowned when you felt him gently push you away to look at you. “So, I was thinking…” He gulped. His palms were insanely sweaty right now. In the name of all that was holy he hoped you couldn’t feel how damp his they were right now, even though he was convinced he was leaving perfectly hand shaped sweat stains on the back of your shirt. “We’ve been doing this a while,” your eyebrow arched at ‘this’, “and I want to make it official.”

You blinked at him. Apparently, he was having a harder time than normal trying to talk to people it seemed.

Riku cleared his throat, willing his voice to work. “Us, official. Be my girlfriend?” He didn’t have time to wonder or worry as you threw yourself back into his arms with such force, he almost stumbled.

“Of course, you doofus,” you hiccupped, feeling incredibly silly as you started crying again.

“Okay. Cool.” He rubbed your back. Paused. “…you gonna keep crying or…?” You laughed, clear and bright and punched him in the chest.

If anybody noticed the two of you smiling a little more while holding each other’s hands, they didn’t mention it for the rest of the night. 

The levity extended to the following morning, which meant of course that you spent a good ten minutes cuddling your pillow to your chest as you resisted yelling in a gleeful, singsong voice, “Riku’s my BOYFRIEND!” around the house. You floated down the stairs, humming as you walked and gesturing gracefully to the fresh pot of coffee when Hiro finally stumbled downstairs around 10.

Spurred on by your optimism, you were filled with energy and tackled cleaning your room with purpose. You were a new woman. Things were changing from here on out and it was going to start with your overfilled closet! Music was playing, birds were chirping, Mira was yelling something about your horrible musical stylings, and then your phone rang.

You frowned. Axel. Who cares, said new you? You have a _boyfriend_ now. With a flourish you unlocked your phone, answering with a chipper, “Hello!”

There was a startled, hacking cough, and then a laugh. “So, I heard it’s your birthday. Or was, anyway. Happy belated.”

“Thanks!” 

“You sound happy. You’re not mad I missed it?” 

“What- NO. I’m not.” You could feel your sunshine and rainbows disappearing with every second you spoke to this man. “Is there a particular reason you’re calling?”

There was a pause and you could hear the faint crackle through the phone as he took a drag. “Thought I’d make up missing your b-day to you today. Interested?” 

You hesitated. I mean, you did tell Riku you were just friends, but somehow spending time alone with someone you had history with didn’t sit well with you. 

“Relax. Roxas will be there too. It’s not just the two of us.” He sounded marginally irritated, and guilt swelled slightly within you. He did, after all, also say he just wanted to be friends. There was nothing wrong with being friends, especially if Roxas was there, and even though it made you feel uncomfortable that you needed that qualifier, that was still the most important thing. 

“Okay,” you said finally, sitting heavily on your bed. 

“Cool. I’ll grab you in an hour?” He exhaled and you inhaled deeply.

“Sounds good.”

“It’s a date.”

“It’s NOT a—”

“Sweetheart, I know. It’s an expression – relax. See you soon.”

Your phone beeped and you looked at it – yup, he’d hung up without waiting for a goodbye. You flopped back on your bed with a groan, feeling on edge as you frowned. So much for that happy, lovey-dovey feeling from before. Pushing aside your pile of clothes for later, you stalked to the bathroom to get ready. You were nothing if not incredibly stubborn, and you were going to prove to Axel, everyone else, and yourself that you were capable of being friends with a past fling; that you were capable of staring your past in the eye and not giving an inch. 

Nobody said you couldn’t look good while doing it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me to me: don't put the song at the end all the time  
> Also me: write nearly twenty pages before the song even hits because the backstory you planned on revealing later just spontaneously came out...since you have no concept of self-restraint or following any semblance of structure whatsoever
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it! We're really getting into the dramz now. Also good job, Riku...finally got your girl and we're only **halfway through the story**. Great work, bud.


	13. Say It Ain't So

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENXvZ9YRjbo
> 
> Drug use in this chapter. Side note I haven’t smoked weed in forever, but I remember always being hungry so here we go.

For as long as Roxas had known Axel, the older boy always arrived thirteen minutes late without fail. His clocks were set five minutes early, he set a stupid number of alarms every day, but he always showed up nearly a quarter of an hour late with no explanation except for a charming smile and a “what can you do” shrug. 

Imagine Roxas’s surprise when his phone buzzed at 1pm on the dot, Axel’s message **I’m here** flashing across his screen. His eyes bugging out of his head he quickly choked down the cold slice of pizza in his hand, the greasy cheese making the task considerably easier. Tripping over his shoes, he hopped outside with his wallet, keys, and phone fisted in one hand to Axel’s amusement. 

“Shit,” the blonde hissed when his keys slipped out of his hand as Axel laughed. Sora wandered by the open door, a pizza slice in each hand and one in his mouth. 

“I got it,” he mumbled through his stuffed cheeks and toed the door closed. Roxas hopped down the steps and shuffled his way to the car, still trying to shove his feet in his sneakers. 

“You good?” Axel asked, coolly looking at his friend over the top of his sunglasses, green eyes glittering. 

“Don’t be a dick. You’re never on time.” Roxas struggled fiercely with his seatbelt (who invented child lock anyway), shoved the crust in his mouth, and quickly tied his shoes as Axel pulled out onto the street. “Are you perma-fried? Your house is that way.”

Axel batted the hand out of his face. “We have one more stop.”

Roxas groaned, dropping his head back to hit the headrest. “Don’t tell me you forgot to grab. Xehanort is creepy as fuck...can’t you get another dealer?” 

A loud snort was the only response he got as Axel sped down the streets. Part of Roxas registered that his best friend was nervously tapping a steady beat on the steering wheel, peering carefully at every street sign that passed. Then they arrived at their destination, and Roxas gave his friend the single most deadpan look he possibly could.

“Are you fucking—” 

You popped up outside Roxas’s window, smiling nervously. “Hi!” you said, voice a little squeakier than normal. You awkwardly tried to open the back door, waited as Axel unlocked it, then fumbled with your seatbelt as you tried to slide in. 

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Axel said with a sharp grin, determinedly ignoring the hard look Roxas was giving him and your nervous glances in the rear-view mirror. Roxas gave up trying to catch his best friend’s eye and instead stared at his hands, willing the lines in his palms to spell out what exactly was going on. Something about the entire situation made him feel wildly uncomfortable, and it lodged itself right in his gut, heaving slightly. He quietly eyed your reflection in the backseat, seeing how you were shifting from side to side, tugging absentmindedly at your seatbelt, and the quiet half-smile on Axel’s face that was bordering on a smirk. 

The usual banter that flowed steadily between the two best friends and the headbanging caterwauling Roxas did no matter how short the drive was gone, and Roxas was feeling himself get steadily more and more pissed off that it didn’t seem to bother Axel at all. For all the time they’d been friends, Roxas continuously felt like the redhead never failed to pull some kind of stunt that threw him off balance, struggling to muddle through whatever bizarre train of thought had led the older boy to the decision. 

The car pulled into the driveway without any fanfare, and compared to the plethora of anecdotes that accompanied your first visit to the Strife house, the non-existent tour made you feel more off center. Axel kicked off his boots, swearing lightly under his breath when he saw his big toe peeking out of his sock. Shoving one errant shoe beside a pair of tiny navy-blue Converse, he tilted his head towards the ceiling and yelled over the faint sound of pop music,

“I’m back. Roxas and (Name) are over.”

There was a flurry of footsteps and then the music stopped. Whoever was upstairs paused, as if waiting to see what your trio would do next. Axel groaned and carded a hand through his hair. 

“Xion, stop being a wiener and get your ass down here and say hi.” There was a muffled squeak and then the gentle sound of a door clicking shut. Axel rolled his eyes. “She’s had a fucking crush on Roxas since she was like five years old. No fucking idea why since he’s such a dick.”

He walked upstairs and you hesitated, not sure if you were meant to follow him. Roxas nudged you and jerked his head, his hair flopping in front of his eyes. “Come on, I’ll show you around. He’s a great fucking host, I know,” he said, a wry smile on his face. There were no stories accompanying the quick circle the two of you did, no careful consideration of any décor that dotted the hallways and walls. The two of you only paused when you considered the family photo in the living room, a surly teenage Axel standing behind a young, smiling Kairi, her hair pulled into two tiny pigtails. Xion was sitting in the forefront, her big indigo eyes wide and her hands fisted in her dress.

“I forgot they’re siblings.” You eyed Kairi’s beaming grin, her eyes crinkled in the corners, and tried to imagine what had changed her into the person she was now. 

“Yeah. Makes it annoying as fuck whenever I come over.” Roxas grabbed a snow globe off the fireplace mantle, shaking it hard and watching the fake snow fly around the cursive Arendelle in the center. “You know, I didn’t know you guys were this close.” You instantly looked guiltily at him, despite your conscience gently reminding you that there was absolutely no reason for you to feel that way. Roxas was slowly turning the souvenir around in his hands, the glitter shifting and eddying lazily through the water as he did so. When Roxas returned your gaze, it wasn’t with any silent accusation. There wasn’t any judgement, just deep confusion written all over his face, uncertainty tucked just behind. 

“We’re not.” You blurted the words out without thinking, but something about the way he was looking at you made you want to explain. “I’m trying to grow up and face my past and not make any more enemies and every single cheesy cliché you can throw together,” you finished lamely, your cheeks growing hot. You resisted the urge to tug uncomfortably at the collar of your shirt, forcing yourself to look him in the eye. 

He broke eye contact first, lightly throwing the souvenir in the air and catching it. It felt like years before he said, “Yeah. Okay.” 

“Careful with that.”

Roxas fumbled and lunged, slammed his shin into the coffee table, swore violently, and caught the snow globe with the tips of his fingers. “Jesus fuck give me a fucking warning next time.”

“That was my mom’s.” There wasn’t any additional explanation, but you wisely kept your mouth shut once you registered the past tense and the way Roxas’s eyes widened as he stared at the souvenir in his hands. Axel sat heavily on the couch, tossing his grinder and weed on the table as he carefully nestled his bong between his knees. Roxas put the snow globe back and sat on the opposite end, watching his friend pack a bowl. You looked quickly around the room and opted for a squashy loveseat, ignoring the unoccupied space between the two boys. 

“Crack a window.” By the time you’d figured out which way to turn the handle, Axel’s zippo was disappearing back into his pocket and a thick plume of smoke was pouring from his mouth. Roxas grabbed the proffered bong and seconds later the sound of bubbling water filled the quiet room. You hesitated when he held it out to you, coughing a bit as Axel chuckled. 

“You don’t have to,” Roxas said, his eyes already slightly pink. 

“But it’ll make things more fun.” Axel’s smile was lazy, but it did nothing to temper his unwavering stare. You debated how much fun it would be stone cold sober around two decidedly high boys, but the smell that wafted into your nose made your decision for you and you snatched up the bong. 

Two hits later and you were melting into the chair, the cool leather a blessing against your flushed skin. The boys were talking about one thing or another, but you found yourself hard pressed to care or focus, every muscle in your body relaxed. 

“How haven’t you smashed someone else by now?”

“Just hasn’t happened,” Roxas grumbled, picking at a peeling callus.

“Still not over Nammy, huh?” 

“Fuck you.” 

Axel laughed, kicking his legs up onto the coffee table. “Just wait five years for Xion to turn 18 and then you can—“ 

“Don’t be fucking gross.” Roxas peeled off the offending piece of dead skin and flicked it at Axel as you wrinkled your nose in disgust. “I got mad munchies. You got any Cheetos?”

“Skinny or puffy?”

“Puffy.”

“You’re a sick man. They’re in the middle cupboard.”

Roxas dutifully trooped to the kitchen, banging around in the cupboards uselessly for a few minutes as you and Axel watched him from the living room in amusement. “Fucking— I think I should help him.” He peeled himself off the couch.

You giggled and pursed your lips, your tongue sticking to the roof of your mouth. “I need water.” You swung your legs to the floor, wiggling your toes in the thick carpet and marvelling at the feeling. Definitely not as nice as the couch, you decided. Still, it was fun dragging your feet across it and touching a finger to the back of Axel’s arm, delighting in the static spark that made him jump. 

Roxas had found the Cheetos by the time you shimmied past Axel, and had them shoved under an arm as he raided the fridge. Axel snorted and pulled out five mugs for you to choose from, carefully lining them up for you to judge. Roxas in the meantime had given up on his impromptu scavenging and was stuffing all manners of food into his face as you gulped down as much water as you could. 

A hand reached out and snatched your nearly empty cup from your hand, and Axel guzzled down the last of your water as you looked at him, betrayed. He licked his lips. 

“You know I came by to see you yesterday, but you were busy with your non-boyfriend.” You sputtered helplessly at him and he thankfully took mercy on your beet red face. “I’m kidding. I came to see Roxas. Can’t be pissing off Riku all the time.” He pressed the cup back into your hand and for a good five seconds you took a deep interest in how his hand almost dwarfed yours. It took another ten before you realized you’d unthinkingly tangled your fingers with his, so caught up with how much longer than yours they were. 

Pulling back like you’d been burned, you ignored the shiver that simmered in your fingertips, crawling up your arm. He seemed too close, the scent of cologne and his deodorant heavy in your nose. “Just most of the time? And actually, he is my boyfriend now.”

“So you’re smug and immature. Nice.” You rolled your eyes and he lightly tapped the underside of your chin. “Come on, stop taking me so seriously all the time. Relax.”

You hopped up on the countertop, feigning your need to move away from him as nonchalance. “Why are you always telling me to relax?”

“Ignore him; that’s his thing. He’s always got a catchphrase,” Roxas said through a mouthful of pillow soft Cheetos. “In high school all he said was ‘got it memorized? Got it memorized?’ I wanted to hurt him.” 

Axel’s grin widened. “I’m touched you remembered.” He smacked his lips uncomfortably, licking them to try and eke out any moisture left on his tongue. You watched the motion through hazy eyes, feeling that tingle running through your veins turn warm. He leaned past you to grab water from the tap, his side pressing against your knees as you froze, holding your breath. “Speaking of total obsession,” Roxas snorted and choked on some Cheetos, “is Tidus still writing songs about how pissed he is at me?”

“I don’t think he ever stopped.” Roxas’s brow furrowed as he licked Cheeto dust off his fingers. “He was cheesed when Sora told him San Fran sucked ass.” 

”San Fran?” You wracked your brain, trying to pick through every single lyric you’ve heard. 

Axel waggled his eyebrows. “I think I’m his muse a little too much. He’s gotta chill before people start talking.” 

“Man, you can’t say shit about that. You used to write about Larxene all the time.” Roxas sat heavily on the floor, his limbs feeling like they were slowly detaching themselves from his body. “Remember Pink Triangle?”

“Well, I was wrong about her being a lesbian so it’s not _really_ about her.” He waggled his eyebrows at you this time, his slightly bloodshot eyes still vibrant and bright despite being half-lidded. “Turns out she’s into ‘pretty boys’.”

“And you’re not a pretty boy...?”

“Not pretty enough.”

Roxas peeled the lid off of a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. “Mar is pretty pretty.” He scooped up what looked like a quarter of the contents and shoved it in his mouth. 

“Hey that’s Kairi’s. She’s gonna kill you.”

Roxas shrugged and shovelled more ice cream into his mouth. “I’m not touching Xion’s sea salt so Kai’s is the next best thing.” You hummed and let your eyes close as you listened to their banter, smiling as Axel yelled about Roxas devouring about half the fridge.

“Hey. Wake up.” 

Groggily you opened your eyes, feeling your lids fighting to unstick as you lifted your head off the couch. Roxas was crouched on the floor beside you, prodding your forehead with a finger. He had the faint remnants of some chocolate sauce at the corner of his mouth. “Sora’s gonna come grab us.” 

“Did I pass out?”

He chuckled, propping his chin in his hand as he surveyed you with amusement. “You almost knocked yourself out on the counter. Oh and uh,” he tapped a button on your phone and shoved the screen in your face, “you might want to call Riku back.”

Three texts, and two missed calls. You heart stuttered as you quickly sat up and unlocked your phone. 

**Hey wanna do something today**

**Parents are out**

**You okay?**

Fuck. They were sent four hours ago, his calls each an hour after. 

Panicky, you looked up at Roxas. “What do I say?”

“Uhhhhh we might’ve answered when he called like five minutes ago, so whatever you want, really. He already knows where you are.” You groaned and buried your face in your hands. 

“Shit.”

“Sleeping Beauty’s finally awake?” Axel wandered in, clearly having fewer qualms about eating Xion’s ice cream as he dug into it. “Hope your boyfriend’s not mad you slept at mine,” he said with a cheeky wink.

“That Clark Kent looking motherfucker will get over it,” Roxas declared, making Axel accidentally spray sea salt across the floor when he choked and started laughing. You shot them a withering look, your thumbs quickly tapping away as you tried to salvage the situation from whatever damage Roxas and Axel had done.

**Sorry I promise I’ll be over ASAP you still free?**

You held your breath for ten seconds, Axel and Roxas also staring at your phone doing little to relieve the butterflies in your stomach as you waited.

**Yeah. Let me know when**

You let out a deep breath, smiling as you threw your hands up in victory. “We’re good!” Roxas rolled his eyes good naturedly and ruffled your hair, standing and wincing when his knees cracked. 

“Good, ‘cause Sora’s probably here by now.” As if on cue, a honk sounded outside. 

“One for the road?” 

You could argue that you took another hit purely to chase the gross, stale taste out of your mouth, but realistically the thought of dealing with a potentially pissed off Riku sounded like it would be way better high. Axel was forcibly pushing Roxas towards his front door, telling him in no small terms that it was time for his best friend to gut his own fridge at home, considering the mountain of sugary and salty treats he’d consumed in the handful of hours he’d been over. They slapped hands, fist bumped, and hugged each other in a way that was teetering on the edge of oddly violent, and then Roxas was out the door whistling as he hopped down the stairs. 

You stood in the foyer, feeling pleasantly floaty from your high as you smiled at Axel. “See you around?”

“Yeah, bud.” He pulled the spoon from his mouth, licked perfectly clean, and motioned you in for a hug. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t melt a little into his arms, the warm musk of his cologne addictive as you buried your face into his chest, trying to chase the scent. 

He lowered his head and his voice rumbled through his chest into yours when he said, “Have fun with your boyfriend,” his tone somehow equal parts suggestive and resentful, but with your foggy mind you weren’t entirely sure you’d really registered the second or imagined it. His face turned, his nose nudged your ear and dragged across your cheekbone leaving an overly warm trail in its wake, punctuated by a soft and slightly sticky press of his lips against your cheek.

Instinctively you turned your head, the flash of emerald green in the corner of your eyes closer than you expected. A starburst of something you couldn’t place flared in your chest and you released his shirt from your tightly fisted hands (when did that happen), stumbling back a pace. You’d blame it on the weed later, but for all your efforts you still felt the edge of your mouth skim his, and your mouth went dry for an entirely different reason. 

Before you could stutter out a weak goodbye or ask what just happened, he nodded his head towards the door.

“They’re waiting for you.” 

The ride home was a blur. You spent most of the time with your forehead pressed against the window, watching your breath fog up the glass for you to draw lazy hearts. Sora kept turning to look at you, feigning checking his blind spot until Roxas yelled at him to keep his eyes on the road where the people he could hit were. 

The gentle rumble of the car was wreaking havoc on your body as you replayed the moment in your head, feeling your thighs clench as you remembered how he’d felt under your hands. _You’re with Riku_ , a tiny voice whispered, and then another countered, _doesn’t mean I can’t look. And_ , it continued, _I’ve already slept with him._

Oh. Right.

He’d already had his hands on your body, kissed you, licked you, made you moan, though the memory was faint at best. You started gnawing on your lip, aching to be touched. You wondered how Riku compared to him, and at the thought you began to breathe a little harder remembering the way he’d looked and felt in the backseat of his car.

When Sora pulled up to your house you nearly flew out the door, tripping over the curb to Roxas’s delight as you raced to your room to rid yourself of the clinging smell of pot before heading next door. You practically hammered on his door, your other hand caressing the soft skin of your stomach as you waited for him to answer.

The door swung open and you almost died. Today was one of those days all you wanted to do was stare at Riku and bask in how unbelievably beautiful he was. The sharp line of his jaw, the soft hair you knew he liked tugged on, the long line of his neck that flowed into the broadest shoulders you’d ever seen. Hungrily you eyed his chest, the soft blue tee bringing out the faint tan in his skin, then trailed your gaze lower to the shorts that did little to hide the shifting muscular thighs.

“Hey to you too,” he said with a breathless laugh.

“Your parents still out?” you asked slowly, almost stumbling over your words as you dragged your eyes back up to his face. He smirked and you jumped, almost headbutting his nose as you tried to kiss him. Stumbling backwards he braced you against his body with a firm arm and slammed the front door shut, the hand going to cradle the back of your head. His tongue licked at your lower lip and then his teeth nibbled, and you moaned wantonly into his mouth. Then he paused and pulled away, much to your displeasure.

“Did you…did you smoke up?” 

You tried to kiss him again, but he stubbornly lifted his head out of your reach. Dragging your mouth down his chin you sucked lightly on his Adam’s apple and he groaned. “Just a little bit.” You wriggled impossibly closer to him. 

He swallowed, hard. “I don’t know if we should do this then since I’m, y’know. Sober.”

In protest, you grabbed one of his hands and placed it firmly on your ass.

He swallowed again. “Fuck,” he groaned, his voice cracking. 

“Just for a little bit,” you whispered. “I won’t tell anyone, I promise.” His hand squeezed and you moaned again, the sound echoing filthily in the hallway. You could feel the hard press of his cock against your thigh and you wanted that and his hands and mouth and he was still just standing there, not moving. 

“This isn’t a good idea,” he repeated, but he’d made the mistake of lowering his head and one look into his eyes had you kissing him again, swallowing the noise he made when you palmed him through his shorts. “Okay okay okay stop.” 

He grabbed your hand and very carefully and reluctantly put some space between the two of you. You gaped at him, your eyebrows knitting. 

“You don’t want to?” You hooked a thumb in the waistband of your shorts and started tugging it down. His eyes darted to the movement and he had to shut them, his other hand stopping you.

“No, I do.” He blew out a breath, his bangs fluttering as he reopened his eyes. “I really, really do.” The way he was looking at you made you squirm. “But we can’t do it like this.”

“Just a little bit longer.” You twined your fingers in his and raised it to your lips, brushing a kiss across the skin of his wrist your eyes locked onto his.

“Oh, fuck.” He surged forward and kissed you hard, your legs nearly crumpling beneath you as you mewled in his mouth, his hands holding tightly onto your hips. Breaking away, he pressed his forehead against yours. “You should probably go home.”

The words hit you like you’d been doused with ice water. “What? You don’t want me?”

“No! No. That’s not what I mean. Just to sleep it off or whatever.” You looked as if you’d been slapped.

“I thought you wanted to spend time together. You’re the one that invited me over,” you shot back.

This time his brow furrowed. “Yeah, but I didn’t know you’d rather be off getting high with Axel all morning.”

The heat that had suffused your body was swiftly retreating, leaving you feeling cold. Embarrassment took its place, and you were unable to look him in the eye as you peeled your body off of his. As conceited as it sounded in your head, you’d never been rejected by someone before when it came it physical intimacy. There was probably a rational thought tucked inside your mind that was telling you to thank Riku for this, but it stung nonetheless and the urge to leave was clamouring over everything else in your head. 

“Oh. Okay. I’m gonna go then.” Your voice was squeaky and you felt the tears gathering and then spilling traitorously down your cheeks. Riku stiffened and reached out for you, but you swiftly retreated, stumbling over your own feet as you walked out the door and back to your house. He may or may not have shouted something after you, but you clapped your hands over your ears and ignored him.

The next morning when you woke mascara tracks were caked on your face and pillowcase, your mouth and throat were desert dry, and for a few marginally heinous minutes you scrambled to try and remember what happened. Then you groaned and grabbed a pillow, squashing it over your face as you yelled. How childish could you get? A quick glance at your phone revealed zero messages from Riku, and you felt your stomach sink so far it was probably rehoming itself in your knees. 

“Right. Throw a tantrum because he’s being an adult. Why wouldn’t he text you?” you whispered to yourself, trying as hard as you could to suffocate yourself. Death by 400 thread Egyptian cotton wasn’t too bad of a way to go, right? 

Your phone chimed and your pillow flew gracefully onto the floor as you lunged for it. 

**How was last night? You fall asleep on him too?**

Making a noise of malcontent, you tossed your phone onto the bed, turned on your side, rolled onto your stomach, and then snatched it up again. 

**No.**

_Ding!_

**Sucks for him. You’re pretty cute when you’re sleeping**

**Except for when you drool**

You weren’t even going to deign that with a reply. Forty-five minutes later you were toeing the sidewalk outside your house, occasionally eyeing Riku’s front door. You lingered there for a good ten minutes, during which your stomach travelled lower to your ankles and decided this was as good a spot to stop. Your lonely walk to school was more of a shuffle, and your hello in comparison to Selphie’s was distinctly morose.

Olette’s brow furrowed as she gave you a quick onceover. “You okay?”

“Yeah just…nervous about midterm results.”

Olette patted your arm sympathetically and then her nose scrunched and she leaned in inconspicuously and sniffed. “You smell like weed.”

You blanched and flushed in record time, opening your mouth to babble something, but she patted your arm again, her green eyes crinkling mischievously. “No judgement. Roxas and Hayner used to wake and bake every day in ninth grade.” You smiled back at her, relieved.

“So…Hayner, huh?” You arched an eyebrow. Before she could reply, a voice that was distinctly male and not her said,

“Yeah?”

Olette flinched, her shoulders rising up to your ears and her eyes widening at the sight of the boy in question and Pence walking towards the two of you. You gently pushed her towards them, waving your goodbye as you watched her fidget nervously under Pence’s scrutiny. You tried to pretend like you didn’t care enough to scan the halls, but every flash of light in the corner of your eye had you desperately whipping your head around, trying to see at least one of the boys. You tried to calm your thundering heart. Realistically if they were all MIA, at least that meant Riku wasn’t deliberately avoiding you.

Unless he’d told them, and now they were _all_ avoiding you.

 _Stop it_ , you told yourself firmly, but it didn’t help your shaking hands as you fumbled with your locker. 

~*~

By the grace of god Destiny Islands had somehow managed to scrape together the funds to build a blitzball sphere, thanks to a prominent alumnus that had gone on to achieve fame, fortune, and the need to have his name slapped onto a building. The Auroch dome was so ridiculously out of place in the back field, it loomed over the tiny one-story school. When filled, its watery shadow confused more than one track athlete and famously gave one struggle player vertigo halfway through their match. To add insult to injury the times it was used were few and far between, with most blitzball training taking place in the pool and most inter-school meets hosted in a bigger, better equipped school. Still, it gave the school something to boast about. 

Riku flicked his damp hair out of his face, hoisting himself out of the pool and nearly slammed headfirst into Tidus, who was crouched by him not unlike a damp gargoyle with a smile that would put any court jester to shame. 

“So, I heard you had your girl over last night. Alone.” Riku snorted and hefted the rest of his body out of the pool. The girls ogling through the window nearly fainted as he tugged his clingy swim trunks down. 

“You stalking me now?” 

“Nah, a little birdy told me that she beelined straight to yours after a little sesh at Ax-hole’s. Which, let’s be real, kinda suspect. But if you, you know—" Tidus stuck out his tongue and made a crude gesture, “—all suspicion is cleared.” 

Riku squeezed the water out of his hair and imagined he was wringing his friend’s neck instead.

Tidus waggled his eyebrows. Riku pushed him in the pool. 

Tidus spluttered when he came up, hacking up a lungful of chlorinated water as the boys around him slowly swam away. “Okay I’m taking that as ‘no, I didn’t get laid last night’. Just another J.O. and K.O., huh?” 

“Gallagher!” 

Riku looked away from where he’d been about to drown his ‘friend’, obediently answering his coach’s beckoning hand. “I wanted to revisit our conversation last year about your captaincy—"

“Pass.” 

Jecht’s eyebrow arched, his frown deepening, an impressive feat for a man whose face looked like it’d been carved from stone. “I’m going to ask you to reconsider. This could be a great scholarship opportunity for you. Spira, Besaid, and Luca have top-notch athletic programs.” Riku stayed silent, staring unwaveringly in the older man’s eyes. Jecht laughed, empty and scathing all at once, and crossed his arms. “Okay, kid. You’ve got a week before I announce the line-up.”

Tidus looked sharply at Riku when his friend returned, swinging his towel around into rat tail. “What’d my old man want?” 

“Just some bullshit,” Riku replied, not missing the way Tidus’s eyes narrowed at his father. How exactly was he supposed to tell one of his friends that his estranged father was more invested in his future than his own son’s?

“Yeah he’s full of it,” Tidus muttered, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists.

“Someone’s got daddy issues,” Seifer said snidely, laughing as he passed. Without looking his way Tidus whipped his arm out, the damp towel cracking loudly against the other boy’s thigh. With a roar Seifer clutched at his leg, lost his balance, and promptly fell into the water. Five seconds later Jecht was over by his son, cold smirk on his face as Tidus defiantly looked up at him.

“Detention, brat. Hit the showers.” Tidus pushed past him, shoulder roughly jostling his dad’s as he ignored Seifer’s threats about “beating his ass”. “You. Quit your whining.” Seifer’s mouth snapped shut. Riku didn’t want to admit it, but he tensed when their coach turned his attention back to him. “Think about it long and hard, Riku. These suckers need someone to whip them into shape.”

Riku walked away.

“Uh, what the fuck did Jecht want?” Roxas popped up at his side, wincing as he tugged his goggles off his head. “Are you going to be captain?” 

“Don’t know.”

“Don’t know? What do you mean by ‘don’t know’? You’re a power-hungry asshole who always needs to do things his way. It’s perfect for you.” Roxas grinned at the glare Riku gave him. “Come on man, ever since I’ve known you it’s been your way or the high way. I hated that about you when we were kids.” He paused. “I still hate that about you, actually.” 

“’Course you do.” 

“You’d be sick at it, though.” Roxas raised his hand in mock salute. “Oh captain, my captain.”

Tidus’s head lifted up from where he was sitting on the bench, conflict written all over his face. “Jecht wants to make you captain?” His eyebrows knit. 

“I’m probably not taking it.” Riku warily eyed his friend, not sure if he was going to end up on the receiving end of one of Tidus’s overly enthusiastic gushing displays of pride, or another towel whip. 

Tidus’s frown got bigger, and he stood. “Why not?” Riku’s mouth thinned and Tidus rolled his eyes. “Don’t say its ‘cause of me. It’s whatever, man. At least my dad’s helping one of my friends instead of Douchebag Almasy.”

“Everyone would quit,” Roxas said with a snort, quickly rinsing off in the shower. “I heard it’s between you and Flounder.” As if on cue, all three looked at the boy in question, who was struggling with replacing his prescription goggles with his thick rimmed glasses. He squinted through the steamed-up lenses, knocked his knee into a bench, yelped, stubbed his toe, and stumbled face first into a locker door. 

Roxas winced and looked at the other two. “Tell me how that guy scored the winning goal last year. Please. There has to be a scientific explanation.”

Flounder was the clumsiest man on earth, terrified of just about everything, but give that boy a blitzball and it was like he was a god of the water dome. Tidus had mistakenly called him a “dome god” once, which had led to an embarrassing two weeks when every single one of their peers was convinced they were secretly hooking up on the side. 

“I’d still take him over Almasy,” Tidus declared. 

“Yeah, yeah, we get it. You love your boyfriend,” Roxas quipped, cackling when Tidus turned bright red and began flinging obscenities and deodorant in his direction. Riku glanced at his phone and jumped, quickly towelling his hair dry and shoving everything into his locker. 

“I gotta dip. I’ll see you guys later.”

“Tell your girlfriend we say hi,” Roxas hollered after him, swatting a piece of munny back into Tidus’s face. 

He ran through the school in record time, only mildly out of breath as he skidded to a halt at your locker, his “hey” barely preceding the scent of chlorine and laundry detergent that accompanied him. 

You found yourself hard-pressed to look in his eyes, a splotchy, embarrassed flush covering your cheeks as you tried not to notice that his clothes were still clinging to his slightly damp skin. “Hi.”

“You okay?” He nudged at your chin with his hand until you looked up at him, your eyes already glossy with tears. “Whoa, hey, what’s going on?”

You hiccupped and sniffled, trying to keep your voice at a whisper as you quickly dried your eyes. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I didn’t— I wasn’t thinking.” You took in a deep breath and steadied yourself. “But I get if you want some time apart.”

“What? No, that’s not it.” Riku wrapped an arm around you and ignored the wolf whistle down the hall when he kissed your temple. “I’m not mad, or anything.” He paused. Truth be told he wasn’t exactly pleased you’d spent most of your time with Axel, but he was trying to be mature here. Calm. Collected. Taking the high road and resisting the urge to use yesterday as leverage to tell you to never see Axel again. 

…he didn’t want you to see Axel again. The whiny, petulant child inside of him was stomping his foot, crossing his arms, and about three seconds away from telling you that you already had him and you didn’t need any former flames in your life. Friendship be damned. 

Instead, what came out of his mouth was, “I just had blitzball tryouts this morning. I told you last night.” You looked up at him, confused and your nose running a little and he chuckled. “You were pretty done.” The bell rang and he reluctantly pulled away, brushing a finger down a single tear trail. “We’ll make it up another time, so don’t sweat it.” He smiled as he walked backwards, hands in his pockets. “S’laters, space case.”

The minute he rounded the corner his smile fell and his mood soured. How much longer did he have to keep swallowing his pride like this? All last night and all morning he carefully constructed a speech loaded with evidence to convince you to never see or speak to Axel again. He was pretty sure he was in the right on this one, but just to be safe he’d refrained from asking Sora’s opinion in case he wasn’t. He was starting to get tired of taking the moral high-ground. Yet, instead of telling you that the two of you needed to talk later, he’d brushed aside all misgivings, his resolve had crumpled like a brittle leaf, and he’d swept the issue under the rug. All because you’d looked at him with that face and those eyes and you’d been so close to crying… 

His Social Sciences class was spent half-listening and taking the worst notes he’d ever written. That and surreptitiously scrolling through Axel’s insta, but he would never admit it if asked. After about the fiftieth photo of Axel in an ugly Hawaiian shirt, cigar dangling from his mouth, cheap beer in hand and some variation of the phrase “for the boys”, Riku’s only conclusion was that he still hated him. A lot. 

He scrubbed his face with his hand and pushed his hair back, leaning back in his seat. The girl behind him nearly had a heart attack when he stretched, his shoulder muscles flexing under his shirt. What a waste of thirty minutes. He went to lock his phone, almost liked a photo, had a mini heart attack, carefully dragged his thumb up the length his screen to prevent the faux pas, and then his heart really did stop. 

It looked like you, but it didn’t look like you at the same time. If he was being honest, the glazed expression on your face (difficult to really discern given the dark background wherever you were and the god-awful filter Axel had slapped on) looked identical to the way you’d looked last night. He had no idea who half the people in the photo were, but he didn’t care. All he saw was Axel standing beside you, smirking, his hand on the curve of your waist and just about pressing you flush against his side. All this in spite of the boy on your other side (your ex, he was guessing), because if there was one thing Axel was consistent at it was being a sleaze. If he’d shown no regard to your ex and hadn’t given a rat’s ass about you being in a relationship before, why would anything be different now?

 _Trust_ , he thought to himself. _Trust that he’s not trying to steal your girl. He’s just being friendly._

He stared at the photo a little more.

_Oh, fuck that._

He could feel the anger creeping into his chest and he forced himself to calm down, breathing heavily through his nose as he stared murderously at his desk. And he started to think. Who was he going to tell about this? Sora? Definitely not. He didn’t need a lecture on how the photo was taken a year ago and things were different. God bless his best friend, but he wasn’t interested in trying to find the good in everyone this time around. Tidus? …no. Absolutely not. That wasn’t even an option. Roxas? Like hell he’d help.

He glanced to the side and paused, considering the back of Kairi’s head as she lay her head on her arm, taking notes in that stupidly neat writing she had. He’d teased her many times about it when— He swallowed and tried not to think about the notes, letters, and cards from her he’d ripped up and thrown in the trash. 

If there was anybody who wanted you and Axel to remain friendly strangers, acquaintances at best, it was probably Kairi…but the thought of asking her for help and spending time with her made him feel so uncomfortable he shifted restlessly in his chair. He looked back to the board. He was on his own for this one. 

~*~

“No fucking way.” Sora spun in a tight circle, giggling happily as he punched the air. You eyed him from your seat on the grass, leaning comfortably against Riku as you idly chewed on your straw. Oblivious to his audience, Sora kept pacing back and forth across the pavement, scuffing his sneakers against the asphalt. 

The past week had seen Destiny Islands slowly edging towards winter, with locals grumbling about the temperatures dropping and coats coming out, much to your amusement as you enjoyed the change from the normally unforgiving heat. Despite the cooling weather, Sora still refused to put on a light sweater much to the chagrin of his mother, who was convinced her baby boy was going to catch a cold what with him staying late after school most days to help with fundraisers. 

Where Roxas divided his time between school, sports, and general mischief, Sora was constantly throwing himself into every single after-school club, frequently darting between meetings in the same day for the sake of helping everyone he could. It didn’t matter if he wasn’t good at it, he was there. Notoriously, Riku told you, Sora had successfully joined the school choir only to sing so badly that the teacher had very kindly but firmly told him for the love of god to never consider a career as a vocalist. Not that it had dampened his spirits one bit. He’d been the driving force behind their wildly successful bake sale, giving them the chance to compete in Disney Town two years ago. 

“He’s pretty happy for someone who was ranting ten minutes ago,” you commented. “He was pretty pissed about Pete.”

“Yeah, well,” Roxas yawned, tilting his head where he lay on the grass towards the sun, “what self-respecting senior tries to rig a Charity soapbox derby for MS.” He cracked open an eye and looked at his twin. “Cloud’s probably coming home soon. That’s the only reason he’d be this amped.”

You plucked a wild clover, and tucked it into Roxas’s hair. When he didn’t stop you or shake it out, you began putting more of them in. “Do you and Cloud not talk that much?”

“We do, just not on the phone.”

“So…” you artfully placed a few snapdragons in there, “what, with smoke signals? Morse code? Telegrams?”

He snorted and a lazy smile crossed his face. “Okay we use the fucking phone, smartass. We just text.” 

Sora hung up and practically skipped over to where your group was, ignoring Donald’s angry shouts as he wavered under the boxes of canned goods for the food drive. He bent down and opened his mouth—

“Cloud’s coming home.”

Sora pouted. “Roxas!”

Roxas chuckled. “You’re too easy to read, man.”

“He’s not just coming home.” He took in a deep breath. “Thirteen is playing battle of the bands!”

“FUCK.” You jumped, accidentally crushing a flower in your fist. 

Riku smacked the back of Tidus’s head. “Keep your voice down, fuckface.”

Tidus sat up, fists pounding into the dirt. “One time. Just one time I’d like for us to do something band-related without having Thirteen there to swipe shit out from under our noses and then rub our faces in it.” 

“No, it’s not like that,” Sora said hastily, waving his hands in front of his face. “Cid just asked them to open since,” he hesitated and chewed on the inside of his mouth, but Tidus stared unwaveringly at him, “since last time they were here they brought a lot of business in,” he swiftly concluded as Tidus’s eyes narrowed. “Nobody’s coming down from HBU to watch us play. You have to admit that.” 

Tidus huffed and wrapped his arms around his knees. “Fine,” he muttered, staring broodingly across the quad. 

“Sora, where are we supposed to put these?” Sora glanced back and yelped, finally grabbing a box out of Donald’s shaking arms as he smiled apologetically. The shorter boy was red faced and looked like he was on the verge of hurling verbal abuse, but the unwavering stare of three blitzball players kept his tongue at bay. 

“Sorry guys,” Sora said sheepishly. Selphie shifted her box to her other hip and rolled her eyes.

“Hi Riku,” she said with a smile. “(Name), Roxas.” She pursed her lips and gave Tidus a cold look, one that melted faster than ice cream on a hot summer day when she saw the furrowed brow and intense albeit distant look on his face. “Hi Tidus,” she said, voice a hair breathier.

Tidus flicked his eyes up to look at her, didn’t so much as crack a smile, said, “hey”, and then continued brooding. You swore you almost saw her knees wobble. Either way, she quickly regained her composure and ran after Sora, though not without a few backward glances. 

Roxas sat up and gingerly patted his hair, making sure none of the flowers had fallen out. He smirked at Tidus. “Looks like your stage five clinger is coming back. I told you you’d get laid more if you kept your mouth shut.” 

“Whatever,” Tidus grumbled as he stood, yanked his bag up with more force than necessary, and stalked away.

Roxas frowned and pulled a flower from his hair. “What’s his deal?” 

Riku wordlessly handed his phone over to Roxas, and the two of you crowded around the tiny screen. Roxas’s head shot up. “You’re fucking kidding me.” 

“How did you not see this?”

Roxas shrugged. “I was shredding with Hayner and Pence this morning. I don’t give a fuck if I’m on the team this year.”

You pulled the phone out of Roxas’s hand and carefully inspected what looked like a list of names, easily picking out Riku, Roxas, and Tidus. “I don’t get it. It says he made it…?” 

“Look at assistant.”

There, underneath Captain: Jason Guppy, were the words Assistant Captain: Seifer Almasy.

“Tidus is way better than Seifer, and everyone knows it. Jecht is a douche,” Roxas muttered, grabbing fistfuls of grass and ripping them up. You slowly handed back Riku’s phone. 

Riku nodded, his jaw tight as he said, “Yeah, well, he told Ti it’s he’s not strong enough of a player, which is bullshit and he knows it.”

You looked between the two of them. “Jecht’s the coach?”

“And his dad.”

“Oh.” You looked in the direction Tidus’s had stormed off, your chest tightening. 

When Riku and Roxas’s phones buzzed not a scant second later with a text from Tidus calling for band practise, you didn’t even let Riku speak before you told him,

“It’s fine. We can go on a date another time.” You squeezed his hand. “This is more important.” 

“I’m sorr—”

“Don’t apologize,” you said, linking your fingers with his. “This can wait until after battle of the bands.” You brushed your lips against his. “Then we’ll have all the time we want.”

A clover landed on your noses.

“You guys are gross. I’ll catch you later.” Roxas walked away, twirling a snapdragon between his fingers.

“You’re amazing,” Riku breathed, and kissed you firmly, holding you close until the bell rang. He didn’t want to pull away, his fingers pressing into your sides as he debated the likelihood of being suspended if he took you right here and now in the middle of the schoolyard. His pants tightened a little at the thought, and he decided to explore more of that unexpected reaction a little later. Every single time the two of you got any time alone, it was always cut short by an unexpected call or visitor, and he was running out of creative ways to hide both your states of undress whenever Mira came barging into your room asking the two of you about Sora, like if he had a girlfriend, and if he’d maybe consider dating someone a few years younger than him oh say, 12 and three-quarters years old?

He was also running out of ways to patiently explain to her that Sora, as a 17-year-old teenage boy, was not even remotely interested in dating a middle schooler no matter how close she was to turning 13. 

“One week,” he whispered, more for himself than you, punctuating the statement with another kiss that left you dizzy, “then you’re all mine,” he promised with a nibble to your lower lip. 

Your hands tugged his hair. “Good.”

“Get a room!”

Smiling bashfully, you pulled away from Riku, affectionately pushing his hair out of his eyes before you hurried to your class. Riku watched the hypnotizing flick and sway of your skirt and groaned. This was going to be the longest week of his life. 

~*~

As far as Roxas was concerned, he never asked for Tidus to become his friend. All he knew was one day at the tender age of nine years old he’d been paired with a boy with sun streaked hair in his swimming class, much to Sora’s dismay. Not necessarily because Sora was bad at meeting new people by any means, but purely because he had a feeling Tidus wouldn’t live to see the end of the lesson. Three splash fights, two near drownings, and one paddle board to the face later, Sora found himself sandwiched between the two boys on a bench in the hallway while their parents spoke with the instructor.

To his left Roxas had been sitting stoically, his arms crossed and toes dragging along the ground. His mouth was set in a firm line and his brows were knit; a true “not my problem” expression. To his right Tidus had been sniffing violently as he struggled to keep his bloody nose from restarting, his legs swinging aimlessly in the air as he shot dirty looks at the other blond. Sora was convinced at that point in time he was destined to become the go between for Roxas and every single member of the rest of Destiny Island for as long as he lived. Bad enough he needed to play the human buffer whenever Riku and Roxas were in the same room, let alone with anyone else who was unfortunate enough to get within swinging distance of his brother. 

As luck would have it, the passing years formed a grudging truce when all three boys ended up on the same intramural blitzball team and Roxas eventually learned that best way to win a game was to not tackle someone on his team. When Sora stopped playing due to “being prone to distraction – incredibly prone like almost disgustingly prone” (his coach’s words, not his), the two remaining boys formed a tentative friendship.

At this moment, Sora could feel whatever bond had built over the past few years was stretching incredibly thin and near ready to snap. His head kept snapping back and forth between the two where they sat on opposite sides of the couch like he was watching a tennis match played with hand grenades instead of a rubber ball. 

“Why are you being such a little bitch about this?” Tidus served.

Roxas countered. “Why are you so obsessed with him?”

“Because he’s creepy and weird and clearly trying to snipe Riku’s girl.”

“Have you seen the two of them lately? That Clark Kent looking motherfucker has nothing to worry about.”

“Well Axel just pisses me off!”

“That’s how I feel about you most of the time, bud.” 

“It’s just a song!”

“No, it’s not!” Roxas slammed a fist on the couch arm. “It’s never just a song with you. Doesn’t it bug you that half the things you’ve written are all about someone you say you hate who hasn’t even done anything to you? What’re you going to do in a couple years when you look back at the things you put out in the world and realize they’re all about stupid shit that don’t matter to you anymore and that didn’t matter to you then? When you finally figure out that you were being an asshole to a guy who’s still my best friend, by the way.”

“Roxas—”

“No.” He levelled a finger at Riku. “Stay out of it. I know you hate him just as much as he does, and I don’t want a reason to kick both your asses today.” His sneer faded slightly as he took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. Roxas looked at Tidus, who was mutinously staring at the blank television screen. “Tidus.”

No response.

“TIDUS.”

Tidus crossed his arms, and Roxas growled and shot up, stalked over to the other end of the couch, swatted Sora’s hand away, and then he punched Tidus in the shoulder. Hard.

“What the FUCK,” Tidus snarled, jumping to his feet. Roxas didn’t budge, his arms crossed, shoulders tensed as he waited for the other boy to swing.

“I’m sorry about Seifer.” Tidus’s eyes widened. “And I’m sorry about Jecht.” 

Tidus deflated. He sat back down, elbows on his knees as he sighed. 

“They’re both assholes,” Roxas continued, sitting on the coffee table, his hand tentatively coming to rest on the shoulder he’d assaulted not too long ago, “but just because you’re pissed at them doesn’t mean you have to take it out on someone else. I should know.” He smiled wryly as he recalled a few fights he’d started when he was younger. “And straight up? If you want to win BOTB it’s not gonna be because we played Teddy Picker. If you’re mad at Douche-masy and your dad then be mad at them. Not a guy who’s just showing up because he’s getting paid for it.” 

Tidus groaned, tangling his fingers in his hair. “When the fuck did you grow up.” 

Roxas chuckled. “Blame fuckwit over here.”

Sora blinked and frowned. “Hey.”

“It’s not a bad thing, Sora.” He looked like he was mulling something over, turning it over in his head. Scratching his cheek, Roxas’s smile turned sheepish. “You were right. I can’t be shitty to people for no reason forever – especially people who are supposed to be my friends. It’s time to grow up.” 

Riku looked at the floor. It was time to grow up. It was time to stop being so prone to jealousy and suspicion and trusting in people for once. The things that had happened with Kairi had finished months ago, and there was no reason for him to believe that you’d act the same way. Carefully, he gathered his speech from the morning, the tight prickle in his chest that hit whenever he saw Axel had texted you, and his mental image of the photo of the two of you and gently placed them in a box in his head. Then he firmly shut the lid and pushed it under the rug. 

“What’s the plan, then?” The three boys started as if they’d forgotten he was there, and waved him over. 

Tidus sighed and scratched his chest. “No clue. We can’t exactly sing about you boning your girlfriend for this. No offense.”

Riku rolled his eyes. “None taken.”

Roxas grinned. “Write about Almasy instead.” Tidus’s head snapped up to look at him. “I think we can all agree if anybody deserves this shit it’s him. Plus, he’s dumb as fuck he won’t get it.” Hovering right behind his declaration was the unspoken _Jecht too_ , and Tidus’s face slowly relaxed into a smile as he considered it. 

“Roxas, that’s a horrible, horrible idea. Let’s do it.”

~*~  
The night of battle of the bands arrived without ceremony, the only thing that heralded it Sora’s increasingly droopy mood when he learned Cloud wouldn’t be able to spend time with him until the Sunday after. Despite your continued reassurances that he’d get to see him at the event itself, you were met with heavy sighs and “it’s not the same” as he stared morosely out every window he could dramatically lean his head against.

The green room was filled with teenagers, several you vaguely recognized from school. Quiet conversation floated through the air, and you were loosely braiding Riku’s hair as the two of you softly spoke in the corner. 

Tidus leapt up from his seat, sheer panic on his face as he screeched, “NOBODY MOVE.” Everybody froze. “I lost my pick and I NEED IT.”

Everyone moved. “I have extras.”

“Roxas, kindly fuck off. This one is special and I can’t play without it tonight if we want to win, so I need everyone to link arms and comb this place.” When he was met with dubious eyes, he clapped his hands sharply. “Let’s GO, people!”

Despite some mutinous muttering, Sora and Roxas obliged and stooped to peek under the couches, carefully stepping over Tidus as he crawled around on his hands and knees. 

“We should probably help, huh?” you asked, combing out the braid and starting it again.

“Probably,” Riku murmured, then drew your face in for a kiss.

“You’re not going to find it in her mouth.”

Riku opened an eye to look at Tidus’s displeased face and he shrugged. “Worth a shot.” He went back to kissing you. 

After about ten minutes of this Roxas very kindly asked Tidus once more to check his pockets, at which point the pick magically appeared in his back pocket where it most definitely had been the entire time. 

“And that’s why I didn’t help,” Riku said with a smirk as Tidus nursed his aching head beside him. Yuffie poked her head into the room, a wide smile on her face. 

“Ten minutes, guys!” 

The chattering ceased immediately. 

Sora nervously twirled his phone in his hand. “Where’s Cloud?” Roxas shrugged, but his eyes stayed fixed on the door. Another tense five minutes slid by and there was still no sign of the eldest Strife boy and his friends. 

You looked at your phone and reluctantly stood, your hand skimming down Riku’s arm. “I should probably go out there.” As you walked towards the door there was a steady, distant booming, and you inched back from the door you were walking towards, taking a full step back not a moment too soon as Demyx slammed it open. 

“MADE IT,” he wheezed, slinging his guitar into the corner and collapsing into a chair. 

“Get your fucking car fixed,” Cloud grumbled, trooping in after his friend and beelining towards his brothers to fist-bump them. “That was the most stressful hour of my life.” 

Roxas was about to ask what the fuck was going on when Yuffie popped back in, Axel’s arm around her shoulder. “Demyx, if every single one of your car’s warning lights is on you should probably get a new car,” she said with a frown, fighting to keep the corners of her mouth from twitching up. Axel looked at you from the doorway, his expression unreadable. Without saying a word, he looked away, pulling his phone from his pocket. Oh shit. You hadn’t spoken to him since he tried to text you a week ago, born out of stubbornness and an insistence that you just didn’t care if he spoke to you or not.

“Nobody has money for that,” Demyx whined, pushing his sweaty hair out of his face. “And if I do it Hiro can’t come rescue us. Your boyfriend’s a fucking saint.” Vivi grinned and ducked his head at the statement, unpacking his bass. Catching your eye, his smile widened. 

“Hey (Name). How’s it going?” You felt more than saw the dropped jaws behind you, Tidus spluttering uselessly. 

“Wait a second. Hiro? And Vivi?” You were saved from needing to answer when Yuffie finally registered that there was someone who definitely didn’t belong there and she waved you out. The squawk of “HIRO? And VIVI?” floated down the hall. 

You were expecting about a million texts to flood your phone – Tidus the culprit of every single one of them – but when none came you worried your lip between your teeth. You weren’t looking forward to that conversation, but luckily you didn’t need to think any further about it. With a flourish, the lights dimmed and Thirteen sauntered on stage as if they hadn’t barely made it on time. Demyx looked cool and collected as he stepped on stage to cheers, his panicked flush from earlier gone. He surveyed the crowd until they finally finished hollering, and started to play. They were all statuesque as they stood on stage; gone were the rowdy college students you’d seen not five minutes ago. They looked like they’d been doing this for years, seasoned pros used to playing sold out stadiums, not packed bars.

“ _Oh yeah… Alright._ ”

Axel looked across the room, the lights turning his hair the colour of blood. You hated it, but you had to admit that the man had stage presence as he casually rolled his shoulders back.

“ _Somebody's Heine is crowding my icebox. Somebody's cold one is giving me chills._ ” There was a moment where he seemed to pause. “ _Guess I'll just close my eyes._ ”

For a brief moment you forgot that the stage lights were blinding him, and that you were one person in a sea of people. To emphasize that fact, Hiro was not three metres from you, struggling through the crowd to stand beside you, and yet, when Axel looked out and his voice was dripping smooth as honey, you couldn’t help but feel like it was just the two of you.

“ _Oh yeah, alright. Feels good…inside_.”

His back straightened and your lungs could work again as he looked elsewhere, not pinning you down with his poison ivy eyes.

“ _Flip on the telly; wrestle with Jimmy! Something is bubbling behind my back. The bottle is ready to blow…_ ” Demyx grinned as he jumped in, the perfect picture of a Rockstar in his tight, ripped jeans. Part of you wondered just how much hair gel the boy went through, each strand perfectly coiffed.

“ _Say it ain't so! Your drug is a heartbreaker. Say it ain't so!_ ” The lights wobbled minutely and you could dimly make out Cid yelling obscenities at the poor soul that had made the mistake. Axel somehow sought you out in a sea of blurred faces and hair, locking eyes with you. For a brief moment the barest traces of what looked like hurt flashed across his face as he sang, “ _my love is a life taker_.”

You didn’t have time to react as he averted his gaze. 

“ _I can't confront you; I never could do that which might hurt you, so try and be cool when I say,_ ” he inhaled sharply, “ _This way is a water slide away from me that takes you further every day_ ", so be cool.” Cloud was headbanging along to the song, his bare arms catching the light as he played along. Looking to the side you saw Sora proudly recording the whole thing as Tidus undoubtedly yelled something along the lines of “for fuck’s sake will you stop livestreaming them”, inaudible over the music. 

“ _Say it ain't so! Your drug is a heartbreaker. Say it ain't so! My love is a life taker_.”

Axel’s eyes narrowed and he stared, dark, and heavy across the crowd. Fuu swooned much to Rai’s displeasure, and even Paine, the stoic bartender who had a rep as a maneater looked grudgingly impressed. 

“ _Dear Daddy, I write you in spite of years of silence. You've cleaned up, found Jesus. Things are good, or so I hear_.” Axel shrugged his sliding sleather jacket back up onto his shoulders, flipping a wayward strand of hair out of his face. His eyes shut as he continued to sing, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet as if at any minute he was going to leap off-stage. “T _his bottle of Stephen's awakens ancient feelings. Like father! Stepfather! The son is drowning in the floooooooood! Yeah! Yeah-yeah! Yeah-yeah!_ ” 

He swung his guitar in a circle, one long leg kicking out as he wailed on his guitar. His profile cut a pretty picture, the edges of his face aglow from the lighting. He looked powerful from where you were standing, as if he was a god commanding the people before him. He was captivating, charismatic, and despite any and every valid concern you had about him, you wanted to push them all to the side. You realized with a start that you wanted him to like you. You wanted to be in his life and have him in yours; something about him was wickedly magnetizing, and you felt ashamed that you’d spent so long trying to push him away. And for what? Hadn’t you said not too long ago you were determined to prove to the world you could have the friendships you wanted, regardless of who they were with? He was trying, but you couldn’t say the same about yourself. Maybe it was time to stop holding him at arm’s length. 

“ _Say it ain't so…your drug is a heartbreaker. Say it ain't so!_ ” Axel inhaled deeply. “ _My love is a life taker…_ ” His voice slowly faded out as he stared unseeingly at some obscure point at the back of the room. He shook his guitar, the notes slowly fading out. His face was shuttered again, the perpetual smirk back. You couldn’t gauge how empty the expression was from where you were, and it bothered you more than you cared to admit.

“You good?” You looked at Hiro, and he pointed quietly at your hand, your fingers knotted into the hem of your shirt. You nodded silently. His eyes narrowed. “Did Riku do something?” You quickly shook your head no, but he was already starting to seethe. “You know, I always thought he was a little bitch.”

“Hiro, he didn’t do anything I swear,” you said hurriedly, reaching out to grab his arm. Immediately you flinched backwards, recoiling as if his skin had seared yours. You went to apologize, but the words died in your throat at the look on his face. He looked startled. Confused.

Guilty.

You shuffled uncomfortably from side to side, trying to think of any way to break the awkward tension between the two of you, and you almost sagged with relief when he spoke first. 

“Why do you always—” he crossed his arms and frowned, voice gruff as he tried to rephrase his thoughts. “You know I’m not mad at you.” 

You laughed hollowly. “Yeah, right.”

“No, for real. I was just…you don’t know what it was like hearing about…” he waved vaguely at you. “I never want that to happen again.” He looked over his shoulder where a very curious Shiki was trying to not so subtly eavesdrop on your conversation. “We can talk about this later.” 

There was another pregnant pause, and he shifted his baseball cap. “I should probably go find Vivi. I’ll see you at home.” He patted you stiffly on the shoulder. “Maybe we can do something tomorrow.”

You tried to swallow the lump in your throat, willing yourself not to cry as you gave him what was probably the world’s wateriest smile. “Okay.”

Any euphoria accompanying the slow repair of your damaged relationship was immediately doused when Shiki leaned in, her breath sweet with Curacao as she asked,

“Oh he’s _cute_. Hey, is that your ex?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Riku, babes, the way you're dealing with your concerns about the relationship aren't very healthy and are probably going to end up leading into some very dramatic arguments in the future. Who taught you this?
> 
> This is the song Axel wrote about Larxene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsVyBHJrNQw
> 
> See y'all next time!


	14. Perhaps Vampires is a Bit Strong, But...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **THERE IS SOME RAUNCHINESS AND VIOLENCE IN THIS CHAPTER.**
> 
> TW: Underage. Some 'stuff' that happens in this scene; MC is 17 at the time, the partner is 19. 
> 
> If you're not interested in reading some vague smut, stop reading after: "He doesn't need to know." and begin again at: "Your eyes slammed shut..."
> 
> If you're not interested in reading a fight scene with blood and some violence towards the MC, stop reading after: "You got in." and don't start again until the next page break (~*~).
> 
> OKAY let's get this show on the road.
> 
> Song link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIp46obBeBQ

This girl. Half of you wanted to throw her a bone for trying so hard to make conversation, and the other half that sounded suspiciously like Roxas wanted you to cut her off with, “are you dumb?”

Shiki didn’t even wait for your response, diving instead into a very detailed and slightly uncomfortable story about her childhood crush turned boyfriend turned ex. The overly complicated story wasn’t easy to follow, and it was made worse by Kairi standing less than a foot away clearly waiting for her friend to stop talking to you. Evidently the two of you were now in a grudging truce for whatever reason, her face sealed shut as she resolutely refused to look at you. The cold shoulder she and Namine were giving you was practically rolling off them in waves, but you’d take that instead of the insults.

Cid’s gruff voice pierced through the air, stopping Shiki mid-sentence. “Alright, let’s get this show on the road. A round of applause to our opening act.” The whooping that followed had Cid gnashing his toothpick between his teeth. “Alright, that’s enough, you hooligans. Save it for the next act, the Gummi Boys.” 

Chip and Dale, two tiny sophomores with chubby cheeks and giant front teeth strode on stage, decked in baggy pants, oversized tees, and backwards caps. Everybody in the bar visibly drooped, turning to talk to each other as Chip launched into what sounded like a loose cover of Lose Yourself. Right around the time Rai burst on-stage to everyone’s surprise, Thirteen weaselled their way through the crowd to where you were standing, drinks in hand. Axel tugged on Kairi’s hair as she frowned at him, her ire short-lived as she gave him a hug. 

“Congrats on 9000 followers!” Shiki gushed, blowing past the moment; she clasped her hands under her chin. “You guys are becoming, like, musical influencers!”

Axel choked on his drink, barely stifling a laugh. “Sure, man. It’s all Vivi, though.”

Shiki glanced in the direction Axel was waving and she gasped dramatically, turning to look at you with sympathetic eyes having seen the boy in question with his hand tucked neatly into Hiro’s back pocket. Hiro and Vivi to their credit didn’t even notice, Hiro whispering something into Vivi’s ear that made him laugh. “Oh my gosh, I didn’t realize. I’m so sorry about earlier; I had no idea.” She leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, “I didn’t know you guys broke up because he was totally denying he was gay. But like, that just tells you how damaging heteronormative culture is, you know?”

Talk about conversational whiplash. You felt like you’d been slapped and then backhanded within seconds of each other, your mouth opening and closing uselessly as you tried to figure out the best topic to address first.

“That’s,” you cleared your throat to get rid of the embarrassing squeak your voice had gained, “that’s my older brother.” Demyx roared with laughter at yours and Shiki’s faces, his eyes tearing up. Axel grudgingly chuckled a little, but looked away when you caught his eye. That was annoying. Taking a deep breath, you side stepped Demyx as he began ribbing Shiki and Hiro, his arm somehow nearly smacking you in the face in the process. 

“Hi.”

There were a million emotions on Axel’s face when he looked at you. “Hi.” His voice was carefully disinterested. Beside him, Kairi smiled triumphantly. 

“Can I talk to you?”

“You are talking to me.”

Talk about being a brat. 

“Okay well I wanted to talk about something...personal.”

The way he was looking at you had you feeling more self-conscious than normal. Having basked in the calm harbour of his temper for so long, it was wildly unsettling to be on the other end.

“Sure,” he said, after several millennia passed, and the two of you squeezed about three feet to the side. Kairi’s eyes were an unending itch on the back of your neck. Before he could say anything and before you could chicken out, you blurted out, 

“I’m sorry.” 

“Wait...what?” 

“I feel like I didn’t give you a chance at all. You were willing to move past...that thing...and I wasn’t. And I’m sorry for that.” Your mouth was cotton dry as you surveyed his carefully collected expression. “I do want...to be friends,” you finished lamely. 

Axel stayed silent for a beat too long and you nearly nervously chewed your bottom lip raw by the time he answered. 

“Fucking finally.” 

It was your turn to double-take. Wait, what? You were dumbfounded by the relieved smile that spread across his face, the easy expression taking years off his face. 

“Look. I know we hooked up and it’s weird and uncomfortable, but I’m cool with it if you are.” He took a swig of his beer. “I don’t do awkward.” 

Your mouth fell open in spite of yourself, your relief palpable as your entire body almost floated into the air. Thank fucking god. You’d armed yourself for battle but ended up with a truce. Perfect. 

“Okay. Great. Friends.” The smile on your face was cheesy, the bounce to your step excessive. It didn’t matter, though. For once in your life everything was turning out the way you wanted to. “I’ll stop being weird about things.”

Axel choked on his beer again, chuckling in between coughing into his sleeve. “You got it. And I’ll try to stop pissing your boyfriend off.”

“He’s actually okay with it!” Your chipper voice, confidence, and general ease seemed to baffle Axel, his eyebrows slowly rising as he considered what you just said.

“Riku? Really?” There was a poignant pause where you smiled cluelessly at him, nodding in agreement. “Riku. He’s okay with us being friends.” When you said nothing to contradict him, he shrugged and downed the rest of the bottle. “Alright.” He slung an arm over your shoulder and while you felt like he didn’t mean for you to hear it, he muttered under his breath, “we’ll see how long that lasts.”

If Kairi seemed miffed by the apparent ease between you and her older brother when the two of you rejoined the group, you didn’t comment on it. In the grand scheme of things, she didn’t matter. After all, you’d managed a whole day without running into her at her house. Anything anybody wanted to say about the outcome of your conversation (and it looked like Kairi had a lot she wanted to say) was cut short by the lights dimming again. 

Cloud gently knocked his drink against Vivi’s. “Let’s see who the competition is this year.” He looked more on edge than he sounded, nervously taking sips every few seconds. Hiro procured another round for the group (glaring at Demyx when he offered you a drink and barking, “She’s not legal”) and you all settled in to watch Kingdom Hearts’s other competitors. 

You had little to worry about. Sora sent you a video of Tidus staring at the camera, his voice deadpan as he said, “I didn’t even know folk rock was still a thing.” In the background you could see Donald with his two best friends Michael and George “Goofy” Geef prancing about stage to something that sounded suspiciously like the Mickey Mouse March, but on guitar and harmonica with just the slightest kick of a drum. 

Nothing seemed to go well for the bands that followed Thirteen, as if the boys had somehow inflicted a slew of bad luck. Ariel was booted off-stage by her back-up vocalist Ursula, Aurora had a few too many shots to “take the edge off” and ended up falling asleep, Winnie got the munchies and wandered off partway through his band’s performance, and Herc inadvertently revealed he went commando, much to the glee of the people in the front row. 

After another twenty minutes of bad lyricism, a few technical difficulties as Cid ranted and railed from backstage, and some very bad rapping, Kingdom Hearts was up. You whooped and cheered, your voice the lone sound in a crowd of people that were ready for something else to go wrong. Cloud was the only other optimist, clapping as loudly as he could. Axel kept drinking, his arm still around your shoulders as Kairi shot sidelong looks at you and her brother. 

“Alright we’ve got Kingdom Hearts now,” Cid growled, his toothpick bobbing as he glared out into the crowd. “These boys were born and raised here (“We grew up here too”, Donald squawked) and I’ve had the pleasure of— GET YOUR FILTHY GODDAMN HANDS OFF MY SHERA.” Cid lunged off the stage, pushing aside swathes of people as he pushed his way to the bar where Paine was fighting someone who looked like an older, drunken Tidus struggling to grab the spear and screaming something about it being “the perfect weapon”. 

The boys shuffled about on stage, unsure if they should wait for the drama to unfold. It didn’t take long before Cid was bodily throwing Shuyin out and wiping his hands on a rag. Tidus laughed awkwardly – his face flushing once he realized the mic had picked it up – everybody in the crowd facing him once more. He placed a careful hand over the microphone, but you still heard him say,

“Do I…do I still have to introduce us?”

Roxas shrugged, Riku shrugged, and Sora looked blankly between him and the crowd. Tidus sighed. You saw his lips move, and out of habit your mind immediately counted in,

“One two three four…”

Sora and Riku immediately began to play, Tidus bobbing his head along as he listened along, Roxas popping his gum in the back. His arm resting easily on his guitar, Tidus leaned in and began to sing.

“ _I've seen your eyes as they fix on me. What is he doing; what on earth's the plan, has he got one?_ ” He grinned as he turned to look back at Roxas as he sang, leaning to the side with the mic. “ _You better give me some pointers since you are the big rocket launcher and I'm just the shotgun._

“ _Well, I ain't got no dollar signs in my eyes; that might be a surprise but it's true_.” His eyes narrowed as he looked out across the crowd, flicking his hair out of his face. “ _I'm not like you and I don't want your advice or your praise or to move in the ways you do…and I never will._ ”

Sora grinned as he played, his arm coming up in a flourish. 

“ _'Cause all you people are vampires._ ” 

Sora’s smile grew bigger. 

“ _And all your stories are stale._ ” 

He spun in a circle and kicked a cheeky leg out at Roxas, who smirked in response. 

“ _And though you pretend to stand by us…I know you're certain we'll fail._ ”

Axel leaned in to shout in your ear, “Don’t tell me this is about me again?”

“Gee, self-centered much?” you snorted. “You’re safe this time.” 

In the background, Tidus continued. “ _I've seen your eyes as they fix on me full of confusion. Your snarl is just so condescending!_ ”

You could see Seifer puffing out his chest to the side as he yelled clearly over the music to the group of girls beside him, “Yeah I know those guys. They’re close buddies of mine.” When a few of them looked at him with piqued interest, he tacked on, “I actually taught them how to play. Yeah, all of them. I’m like pretty naturally gifted so I wanted to help them out.” You nudged Axel in the ribs and jerked your head towards Seifer.

“ _Try to explain that we're on to a win if the fee we got in near recoups what we're spending. He said, ‘I can't believe that you drove all that way. Well, how much did they pay you, how much did they pay you?_ ”

Axel leaned in and tapped one of the girls on the shoulder. She looked like she was about five seconds from fainting when she saw who had been trying to get her attention. “He’s right.” Seifer, who had been eyeing Axel warily smirked confidently. “Voice of an angel. Puts me to shame. You should ask him to sing for you after this.” 

Seifer’s mouth fell open as he quickly tried to recover, shrugging off the girlish squeals as he crossed his arms across his chest. “Nah, my throat’s pretty uh…banged up and shit right now. Can’t do anything about it.”

Axel’s smiled turned sweet, his eyes still glinting. “Come on, man. Just hop on stage after and give us a show.” He turned back to you, whispering in your ear, “He’s tone deaf as fuck. Probably worse than Sora.” You bit your lip to keep from smiling. 

“Yeah, please, Seifer. I’d love to hear you sing,” you said, voice just as saccharine as Axel’s, a wayward giggle bursting from your lips when the girls chimed in, begging and pleading and effectively trapping Seifer in a corner as you watched on in amusement. 

“ _You'd have been better to stay ‘round our way. Thinking about things but not actually doing the things._ ”

“You’re evil,” you said, tucking your hair behind your ear and begrudgingly impressed by the way he’d stepped in. Like hell Seifer was going to use your boys to get laid, smarmy asshole he was. “I approve.”

Axel jostled you playfully against him, patting your shoulder with his hand. “You’re pretty cool too, man.”

“ _'Cause all you people are vampires, and all your stories are stale. And though you pretend to stand by us I know you're certain we'll fail._ ”

You caught Kairi’s eye as you laughed, the sound dying in your throat. You couldn’t decide if the blank expression on her face was better or worse than the usual sneer and eye roll when the two of you met eyes. If anything, the lack of disdain only served to highlight how pretty she was, your intense dislike of her tempered by the soft curl of her hair under her chin and the way her eyes still seemed to glow, luminescent in the dim light. She and Sora must have looked stunning together, her and Riku even more so. All three of them must have been a devastating sight, a love triangle plucked from the pages of every single ham-fisted young adult novel you’d devoured when you were younger. 

On stage, Tidus was dancing with the microphone, ignoring Selphie as she tried to catch his attention from the front row. He wasn’t nearly as exuberant as usual, and you could see the tension resting in his limbs as he fought to stay glued to the mic. You were surprised, truth be told, that he wasn’t at least shimmying obnoxiously across the stage towards Riku, given he wasn’t even playing. Riku had revealed the truth behind the song to you soon after its conception, but it seemed like it truly was a cathartic experience for the singer, something he’d needed to get off his chest for a long time. He looked angry as he sang, a tightly wound spring, a tense finger on a trigger. 

“ _’Cause all you people are vampires and all your stories are stale! And though you pretend to stand by us I know you're certain we'll…fail._ ” 

Roxas started a steady beat, tucking his bottom lip between his teeth as he steadily played. Cloud arched a proud eyebrow. Sora finally caught Riku’s eye and the two shared a private moment as they strummed, Sora hopping about with each chord. You saw Riku’s laugh, the smile lighting up his face and transforming it into something heavenly. And then Tidus, sweet Tidus who had cultivated the perfect rock star persona up until now turned and grabbed something off the floor and Demyx did a beautiful impression of a spit-take as he shrieked,

“Is that a fucking tambourine?!”

Undaunted, Tidus shook the tambourine along with the rest of the boys, Axel laughing uproariously as Cloud grinned. “That fucker.”

Tidus flung the tambourine into the crowd where it promptly hit Hayner in the face and sent him stumbling back into Rai, who evidently hadn’t noticed the musical instrument flying through the air and pushed him back. The crowd surged and swelled and suddenly one hundred people were jumping and moshing in unison, the floorboard creaking and shaking under the strain. 

Tidus finally smiled, wild and free as he slammed into his guitar with gusto, spinning and leaping and kicking his legs as Sora let out a loud laugh. You could see his lips move in the shape of something that looked like, “There he is.”

Roxas was a flurry of arms as he smashed through his drum solo, the cymbals catching the light and sending spots of gold flying across his face, lighting his hair and face aglow. Cloud lifted his beer, cupped a hand around his mouth, and bellowed, “YEAH!” as loud as he could. Roxas slammed his sticks into the drums and then the unthinkable happened. If you’d blinked you would’ve missed it, but with the final beat half his drumstick went flying off to the front, pinwheeling through the air and knocking Tidus on the head. You were sure Hayner was pleased, wherever he was in the flurry of limbs and sweat in front of you. 

The guitar wavered as Tidus whipped around to look at Roxas. There was a faint pop as the audience watched with baited breath, breathing a collective sigh of relief when Roxas procured a drumstick from seemingly nowhere, twirled it around in his hand and pushed his sweaty hair out of his face with a sharp smile.

Tidus, still running on adrenaline, shrugged off the mishap and turned back to the mic, opened his mouth, and…there was silence. There were a horrifying five seconds as all the boys looked to the side of the stage where Pence, the unofficial official A/V man scrambled through the various cords and cables crisscrossing the stage, searching for the wayward plug that had been pulled free.

“I fucking told him,” Axel snorted. “His mic’s gone. They’re done. What the fuck is he going to do now?”

Eyes alight with determination, mouth set in a grim line, Tidus filled his lungs as far as they could go, doubled over, and roared,

“ _ALL YOU PEOPLE ARE VAMPIRES!_ ”

The crowd cheered as the boys launched back into their music. Everyone jumped in sync, and The Highwind groaned, ancient dust floating up from the hardwood. 

Cloud immediately noogied Sora as soon as they found your group in the crowd, roughly tousling Roxas’s hair. “Awesome work, squirts. You guys could be the first band to win BOTB two years in a row.”

“Nah, we can’t,” Sora said, a wistful grin on his face as he linked his hands behind his head. “Riku’s graduating, you know? Can’t expect him to hang around forever.”

“Likkle Riku’s growing up,” Demyx said, his voice slurring slightly.

“Drink some fucking water, dipshit,” Axel grumbled, propping his friend up as the other’s mohawk teasingly tickled his cheek. The minute Axel stepped away Riku slid in beside you, his arm around your waist as he kissed your temple.

Cloud grabbed Demyx by the collar and forcibly took his drink out of his hand. Once he was safely double-fisting and Yuffie had appeared with a spare arm and a cup of water, he turned his attention to his little brother’s best friend. “Where are you applying to?”

You didn’t know who looked more stunned by the question: you, or Riku. “Cloud, you sound like mom,” Sora whined. 

“It’s a serious question.” He fixed Riku with the ocean blue Strife stare. “I remember you being pretty good at blitzball.”

“Jesus fuck did my old man put you up to this?” Tidus griped, sipping angrily at his coke. 

“No.” Cloud snapped. Roxas and Sora squinted disbelievingly at him. “...okay not exactly. Jecht asked Seph, but I said I’d do it.” 

“Sephiroth? Jecht asked _Sephiroth_ to talk to me?” Riku asked, deadpan. “Our demon captain from three years ago? He’s that desperate to get me to play on a college team?” 

“My dad is a lot of things, but smart isn’t one of them,” Tidus quipped.

Cloud downed his beer and set the empty to the side (either not noticing or ignoring two teens behind him fighting over who was going to take it home before Yuffie snatched it up, yelling at them about the stupidity of carrying an open container around in public no matter whose it was as Axel lunged forward to steady Demyx). “Seph’s a pretty big deal in Midgar. He’s top pick in the draft right now and probably on track to sign for a hefty contract. Ignoring blitzball Spira, Midgar U and Besaid are some dece schools and you should think about applying. What’s your first choice?” 

Riku set his jaw, his hand tightening for the barest second on your waist. “HBU.” 

Demyx choked on his water “What? Why? ...no offence,” he added hastily as he held out a placating hand to his friends. 

“Yeah fuck you too, man,” Axel sniped. “We can’t all drop out after one year at Olympus and dick around on our trust fund.”

Demyx frowned. “I’m taking a gap year,” he insisted, primly sipping from his glass. “But Riku you’re smart as fuck. Smarter than literally everyone standing here. No offence again.” The boy in question shifted uncomfortably as the group somehow simultaneously rolled their eyes while not denying the statement.

“I just figured I might want to stay close,” Riku said, and sent a sidelong glance your way. Your heartbeat picked up at it, a light flush dusting your cheeks as you bit the inside of your mouth to keep from smiling too widely, despite the butterflies in your stomach that fluttered a little too much to be solely excitement. He had a small grin on his face in return, and both you pretended not to hear Roxas mutter, “oh boy” to Cloud and Sora.

“Right…” Cloud drew out the vowel as if waiting for Riku to hop in at any point with a wink, jazz hands, and a cheery, “Just kidding!”, but nothing of the sort happened. “I’d think about it, if I were you. Don’t write off some good schools just because of…” his eyes flicked over to you, “…reasons.”

Anything else that would’ve come from the conversation came to a stuttering halt as Seifer stumbled up onto the stage, his face defiant and vaguely terrified at the same time as he grabbed for the mic. You could see the girls from earlier crowded at the front of the stage.

“No fucking way,” Tidus breathed, fumbling for his phone. Sora had him beat, his gummiphone trained on the event unfolding before his eyes. 

“My fucking ears are gonna bleed,” Roxas snarked, but he pulled out his phone as well. 

Destiny Islands may have been a small, close-knit community seemingly isolated from the rest of the world, yet let no-one speak ill of their ability to make Seifer loudly singing “Where’s Your Head At?” go viral within hours. He was off-key with all the brazen confidence only an intoxicated high schooler could have, but Roxas, Cloud, hell everyone was in agreement that the pièce de résistance was when he leaned over the stage and promptly vomited all over his would-be groupies. 

Tidus was beaming as he zoomed in on Seifer wiping the back of his hand across his mouth. “This…” he pointed a finger at the boy dry heaving as the people around him took another step back, “is art.”

~*~

Riku was convinced that the universe was conspiring against him. To start, his morning daydreaming of having you come over for a “movie” was torn to bits when you apologized and told him you’d already made plans in the AM with Roxas and Axel, Sora was off doing some extra-curricular or the other, and the thought of spending time alone with Tidus was less than appetizing. Any guilt he might have felt about that thought was dashed when Tidus turned him down regardless of his trepidation, vaguely mentioning being “busy doing stuff”. 

To add insult to injury his parents decided to invite Mayor Wathaus over for dinner without warning him, which resulted in him being interrogated for the better part of the hour about if he had decided where he was going to apply to, why didn’t he apply for early admission, when he was going to come over next, and surely he and Kairi could be friends now? 

Partway through dessert he’d excused himself and scrambled out the door over to your house where you were very happily waiting for him at the front door. This relief was short-lived as not even thirty minutes into a very exciting make-out session where he found the perfect spot below your bellybutton that made you moan obscenely your parents came home with Mira in tow. Allegedly the final swim class had taken less time than anticipated to complete, since everyone who grew up here had been swimming before they even knew how to walk. 

Now here he was, lying with his head on your lap and eyeing the open door that your mother insisted the two of you have as Mira skulked outside waiting for the perfect moment to saunter in and casually ask about Sora. The two of you had put a movie on, but he was barely paying attention as you slowly combed your fingers through his hair, his bangs lightly brushing against his forehead.

“Your hair’s so long,” you murmured softly. He tangled his fingers in yours.

“You think I should get it cut?”

“No!” He chuckled at your fervour as you squeezed his fingers with yours. “No. I like it. It looks good. And,” your voice lowered even more, “it’s nice to have something to hold onto.”

Riku barely stifled his groan and turned, laughing softly as you stiffened. His nose was pressing into your inner thigh and a little too close to a spot he was very interested in; closer than the open door should allow. You gently tugged on his hair until he moved his face, smiling apologetically at him. “Sorry, but if my parents walk by…” He sighed and you resumed stroking his hair. 

“Just wait until next year when I have my own spot.” He grabbed your free hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing the tips of your fingers. “When you come visit, we’re not leaving my room for a whole day.” You shivered, your toes curling when he lightly bit your index finger.

“You’re pretty confident about that,” you replied, voice rough.

He smirked and began kissing your knuckles. “You won’t be able to stay away.”

This boy was going to be the death of you. You were willing to risk the ire of your parents and close the door. Hell, you were pretty sure you’d be willing to barricade it too just to finally consummate your relationship…something you’d been eager for since he first kissed you. The temptation of having seen and felt nearly everything under his clothes did little to stem the constant tingle that was running through your chest and down between your legs. The way his tee was clinging for dear life onto his chest and toned stomach (seriously what teenager has that good of a six-pack?), and the gentle curve of something that was most definitely making your mouth water right in between his thighs…you were going to die from blood loss soon. 

Maybe sensing your impending demise, Riku sat up and slowly kissed both your cheeks, your forehead, and then your nose, smiling as he deliberately avoided your mouth seeking his. “I won’t be far. You can see me whenever you want.”

That penetrated through the warmth clouding your mind as his mouth grazed yours. You blinked and pulled away slightly. “You won’t be— you’re actually applying to HBU?” It was his turn to lean back a little, confused.

“Yeah.”

“But not for…” You gestured wordlessly at yourself. 

“No, I mean…well, maybe a little?” He kissed you soundly when you tried to speak. “It’s not all for you. It’s a good school, and it has the program I want. If it works out, it also means we get to see where this goes.” 

“Okay, but I feel like—”

He cut you off again with another kiss, leaving you open mouthed when he pulled away. “I’m applying other places too. You’re not making me do this. I’m choosing to.”

He tucked you in his arms, pressing you up against the headboard and your lower lip trembled. “How are you so sure this will be worth it?” He hummed in thought. “How do you know you’re doing the right thing?”

“I’m in it for the long haul,” he mumbled, nuzzling his nose into your hair. 

“But things could change. We could both change or something could happen. I mean look at you and Kairi.” You froze. You wanted to clap your hands over your mouth.

Riku let you go, and despite the lingering warmth of a tropical winter, you still felt cold. “Kairi? You worried you’re going to do what she did?” His eyes were sharp, his voice even more. 

“That’s not what I meant. What she did to you and Sora is wrong and I would never, ever even think about—”

His eyes widened in surprise, a flicker of something flashing across his face. “Wait, you know? Why didn’t you say something?”

“Because you deserved to tell me in your own time. And,” you bit your lip, “it didn’t seem fair if I knew about that and then I didn’t tell you about me.”

“You don’t have to,” he began quickly, but you sat up, silencing him.

“No. I want you to know. It’s just…hard.” You took in a shuddery breath, unable to look him in the eye. The silence was long, heavy, and prolonged. Mira had thankfully taken the hint long ago and tiptoed away. 

Riku gently tucked his hand in yours. The last of the setting sun faded from the sky, a few lone stars bravely dotting the dark. “You know how I found out about Sora and Kairi? Someone stuck a photo they’d taken together in my locker.” His brow furrowed. “They went on a date at the arcade the same night I went with her. She told me she had to do something with Xion that night, and I believed her.”

Flopping back on your bed, he stared aimlessly at the ceiling. “It…sucked.” He inhaled sharply, frowning. “I had to tell him, but I didn’t want to. I was pissed at her, but just because I was angry didn’t mean I wanted to make Sora sad too. He—” Riku flopped an arm over his eyes.

“He looks like a little kid when he cries. He gets all red faced and his eyes get all big and he always wipes his fucking nose on his sleeve no matter how gross it is. I don’t want to see that. I mean, this is my best friend; I don’t want to hurt him. He didn’t know. _I_ didn’t know. Turned out she told both of us to keep it secret so we wouldn’t make it weird between the three of us.” He laughed humourlessly, his voice a voice a shade huskier than it had been. “What a joke.”

You couldn’t imagine how it had been. Riku, starting his morning staring dumbly into his locker at the damning evidence in front of him. Not knowing who knew or if everyone knew and he was just the butt of some sick joke. Walking with legs made out of lead to find one of the two people he trusted the most in the world, just to break his heart. 

You’d find out later from Roxas that Riku had found Sora and Kairi together, laughing about something or other as they waited in the hallway for class to begin. He hadn’t said a word, just brushed past Sora’s, “Hey, Riku,” and shoved the crumpled photo into Sora’s chest, the same photo strip he’d taken with Kairi earlier that fateful evening tucked behind it. He hadn’t looked away from Kairi the entire time, watching her face grow pale as she started stuttering that she could explain.

Sora, contrary to Riku’s fear, hadn’t cried. Just like Riku, he’d stared dumbly at the photos for a while as he slowly gathered his thoughts, and then he’d looked up with his broken heart written all over his face and barely managed to stutter out a, “What?” before Kairi tried to reach out to the two of them.

Out of the three of them, Kairi had ended up crying that day. Of course, Roxas added with a scoff, she looked like a fucking princess while she did it. All big periwinkle eyes with fat, movie-grade tears sliding slowly down her cheeks as she tried to reach out for the two boys she’d grown up with and toyed with. Riku finally spoke, stepping firmly in front of his best friend. 

“No. It’s over,” he had hissed. “Don’t fucking talk to us anymore.”

Roxas had retrieved the photos from Sora’s shaking hand and launched into the verbal tirade that ended his own relationship, Riku had ushered Sora away from the gaping crowd that was living for the theatrics before them, and the minute they’d burst out into the empty quad Sora cried. Not the howling tantrum Riku had expected, but the silent, hitching sobs of a boy who’d lost everything he cared about. They got written up for skipping that day, but neither of them cared and neither of them told their parents the reason why they missed school, or why Kairi suddenly stopped being a common fixture in their lives. 

“I’m sorry.” The words sounded so empty coming from your mouth, but you didn’t know what else to say. Riku’s eyes were slightly pink around the edges when he removed his arm, but his skin was dry and his vision clear as he smiled at you, bittersweet. 

“Shit happens,” he said lightly, and tapped your knee. “You don’t have to tell me if you’re not ready.”

You got off the bed, feeling his eyes follow you as you closed the door over, leaving a sliver of space to peek out into the hallway. Your parents would have to deal with the technicality. You slowly settled into the bed, fighting the urge to swaddle yourself in your duvet and forced yourself to meet his eyes. Riku propped himself up on an elbow, and you took the sight of him in. There he was, lounging on your bed like it was a divan and he was a god waiting to be worshipped. He looked soft, open, and unthinkably beautiful. You prayed to whatever entity was up there that he wouldn’t leave you as soon as he heard.

You began to speak.

~*~

“Man, this place blows.” 

The two twins you’d nicknamed Flotsam and Jetsam seated to your left exchanged a look and nodded, leaning onto their elbows and mimicking Seb’s pose.

“Yeah. It totally sucks,” they chimed, voices gravelly from chain-smoking a pack a day since they were 14. If you cared enough to laugh, you would’ve. 

Triton’s Palace be a seedy hole in the wall, but it had been a fixture in Atlantica for over thirty years. The ceiling was covered in fishing nets in someone’s poor attempt at decorating, and speckled with bras that had been tossed up there over the years. You didn’t want to know who first conceived that idea, but it was a tradition that ran rampant. Somehow commemorating sneaking past some very lax bouncers with a fake ID didn’t seem like the appropriate equivalent to deliberately losing a rather expensive piece of clothing to a bar, but nobody else seemed to care except for you.

The walls were painted with chipped black paint, and covered with old flyers. The floor was grimy to the point where the phrase “don’t look down” was common advice passed between partiers. In spite of all this booze was cheap and the bouncers were corrupt, and that was all that mattered. 

“You having a good time?” Seb cupped his hand against the back of your neck, and you fought the urge to shrug it off, not that you would’ve put up a good fight what with the level of alcohol in your system. You chose not to answer him, and he leaned towards you, his other hand resting on your thigh. “You doing okay?” You lolled your head around to look at him, and as soon as he saw your glazed, half-closed eyes he started to laugh. “Yeah you are.” 

A small group of people began filing into your section, and Seb pulled away to slap a few hands and talk about something you didn’t care to hear in low voices. This was how the good nights went. Everyone would go out, Seb would end up talking shop, and you’d get shitfaced by yourself in the corner as everyone ignored you. Boring, maybe, but a much-needed alternative from the nights he needed to blow off steam and sent you out on the prowl.

It was like a game the two of you had. You’d been together long enough at this point that you’d run out of past flings for him to beat up, his reputation as ‘fucking crazy’ keeping your former courters and lovers at bay. If he was particularly antsy though, he’d send you to stumble through the crowd and lure some unsuspecting man into flirting with you and offering to buy you drinks as you leaned heavily on him, intoxicated and pliant. Then lo and behold, Seb would come sweeping in and drag the poor sap into the alleyway just to prove a point. Whether it was that you were his or just to see if he could still beat someone bloody you had no idea. You didn’t care either way. Nobody ever got seriously injured, mostly just slinking away to lick their wounded pride after all was said and done.

The couch dipped and you looked to your right, your mouth already puckered in disdain. “You look like you’re having fun.” The voice was low, a little smoky, a little too warm as you made out bright green eyes through the flashing lights. 

“Do I know you?” 

He grinned. “I’m Axel. You?”

“That’s my girl.” Seb was standing over the two of you, his eyes alight with something terrifying as he sized Axel up. Maybe it was going to turn into one of the other nights. Axel held up his hands, his smile turning slightly demurer.

“Just being friendly. She seemed pretty lonely by herself here.”

Seb’s eyes narrowed. “Why don’t you go be friendly over there?”

“Seb, man, don’t worry. He’s my cousin. He’s cool,” Reno interjected, smiling winningly at Seb. “Total fucking flamer.” Seb began roaring with laughter as Axel frowned, standing to join the other two men.

“I keep telling you not to say it like that,” he groused, and Reno grinned. “He _means_ I like setting shit on fire.”

Seb finally smiled back, challenging and cold. “Yeah, eh? You ever burn anything down?” 

“Nothing anyone can pin on me.”

“Alright.” He eyed the other redhead for a few more seconds. “Ever burn someone to death?” The temperature in the room dropped a few degrees, and Axel cut a look at Reno that screamed, ‘Are you fucking serious?’

“I…wouldn’t say no to having it as an option.” Seb’s smile turned more feral as he jabbed a finger in Axel’s chest. 

“I like you.” He started laughing again. “Yeah, I fucking like you. Your hair too, man.” He grabbed Axel suddenly and slung an arm around his shoulders, his face full of manic glee as he looked down at you. “We’ve got the same colour hair, right? He could be my brother.” He patted Axel’s cheek with his hand. “Come on, let me introduce you.”

It took another thirty minutes before Axel made his way back to you as you sipped on another gin and soda, convinced that the bartenders were watering them down. They wouldn’t stop serving you (Seb had made it clear months ago what happened when they ‘treated his friends poorly’), but it didn’t mean they had to give you exactly what you asked for. 

“Your boyfriend is interesting,” he said as he flopped onto the couch, his arm extending along the back of it. When you didn’t respond, he looked at you. “You giving me the cold shoulder?”

“Why are you talking to me?” Your buzz was annoyingly starting to wear off, and you were hyperaware of the long limb that was just a few inches away from curling around your shoulders. 

“Am I not allowed to?”

“Nobody ever does.” 

Axel gaped briefly at that, and then swiftly shut his mouth. As he’d told Seb earlier, he honestly thought you looked a little lonely sitting on your own, but he had attributed that to the fact that maybe you didn’t know anybody here. That coupled with a territorial boyfriend it made sense that nobody was approaching you. As he looked around though, he slowly realized that everyone was giving you a wide berth. It didn’t matter that at least fifty percent of the men there were engaged in what looked like that shadiest business deal of his life, the other half were just sending you furtive looks (that he also didn’t like), and otherwise acting like you didn’t exist. Even the crowd of girls that had managed to worm their way in acted like you were invisible. There maybe was more than one pair of suspicious eyes on the two of you, but nobody was saying or doing anything. 

The closer he looked at you, the more he frowned. You looked withdrawn, and frail; like the couch was two seconds away from swallowing you whole. You looked young and you looked lost, and the thin sheen of sweat that was covering your forehead coupled with your bloodshot eyes wasn’t making things better.

He hesitated. “How old are you?”

“Old enough to be here,” you snapped back and he shook his head.

“Okay, my bad. You wanna get something to eat?” You glared at him and he smiled, the same charm as Reno oozing out of every pore. “I’m just a little hungry, and I don’t know where anything is around here.”

“Look it up on your phone.” 

“I want the true experience from a local. I’ll even buy you something to eat.” Your stomach growled, and you glared at it, betrayed. You looked at Seb’s impassive back, and then out at the sea of people hovering on the outside of your bubble, not even deigning to look your way. Finally, you turned to look at the one person who’d either been stupid or brave enough to talk to you, blatantly flying in the face of whatever unspoken rules Seb had established.

“Yeah okay.”

The cool night air was refreshing, and Axel had insisted the two of you walk, not that either of you had any other modes of transportation readily available. He gave up trying to get you to say more than five words at a time to him, instead keeping up a steady stream of idle chatter as the two of you passed a smoke back and forth. At one point you got into an argument in the middle of the street as you struggled to take off your shoes, him insisting you wear his to avoid walking on broken glass, and you yelling that then he’d have to walk on broken glass and that was stupid. Eventually he’d pinched the bridge of his nose, told you to wait and then ducked into a 24-hour Shell Mart to buy you a pair of cheap flip flops. They were slightly too big, but you didn’t care. Call it the straw that broke the camel’s back, but the act was sweet enough that you finally warmed up to him, letting the frosty silence he’d been trying to breach thaw. 

“You’re seriously in a band.” Your mouth was thick with deep-fried fish as you wrinkled your nose at him. You swung your legs over the edge of the pier, flirting with losing a flip flop to the dark water.

Axel paused with a fry halfway to his mouth, covered in enough tartar sauce to feed a small nation. “Why is that so hard to believe?”

“You don’t look like a musical person. Imagining you on a guitar is like imagining a horse riding a unicycle.”

“Hey, weirder shit has happened,” he said with a laugh. “One of my buddies is self-taught and he’s the one that got me into it. This guy is like a wonderkid when it comes to instruments, he’s kinda like that guy at the start of Mary Poppins. You know who I’m talking about?”

“Seriously? Mary Poppins?” Your lips quirked up. 

“I was a kid once. I didn’t just show up one day like this, like ‘Hey guys, what’s cracking’.” 

“Okay, okay…so you’re in a band and you used to be a kid,” you snorted. “I know so much about you I feel like we’re soulmates.” 

“Yeah, chill.” Axel handed the mickey of whiskey towards you, and you gratefully took a sip. The food and night air were doing you good and you felt more coherent than you did in the club, but you and Axel were still in the Mercenary City on a Saturday night and that meant that booze was a necessity. Especially for when you had to go back and endure an undoubtedly heated interrogation from a boyfriend that was probably growing angrier by the minute. 

“What kind of music do you play?”

“You’re just asking to be nice,” Axel laughed, bumping his shoulder against yours. 

“You bought me food. I’m obligated,” you shot back, bumping him back. “You avoiding the question?” You leaned in as Axel turned, and the two of you stilled, his nose an inch from yours. His pupils were blown wide, but that did little to mask the heat that accompanied the grass green eyes that trailed down to look at your mouth. You licked your lips when his hand snaked out to rest on your lower back. His touch felt like electricity, the warmth radiating from his body a siren call. Your voice was low and rough as you said, “I bet you can’t even sing.” 

He made it through about two lines of the chorus of She before you desperately crashed your mouth against his, nearly sending the two of you into the water. Your breath caught and hitched as the whiskey urged you on, the smoky taste in his mouth intoxicating as your food fell into the water. 

“Fuck,” he whispered, pulling away from you. You searched blindly for his mouth, biting his lower lip. He groaned and let your tongue slide into his mouth, tangling with his as his hands groped at your waist. “We can’t do this here.”

“Then take me somewhere,” you said heatedly.

“What about your boyfriend?” You pushed aside the alarms ringing in your head. Fuck Seb, you wanted to say. There was someone else you’d rather be on top of tonight.

“He doesn’t need to know,” you mumbled, your hands sliding up his shirt. The two of you barely managed to catch a cab, relentlessly exploring each other’s bodies in the backseat as the driver snapped continuously at the pair of you to keep your hands above the clothes. Stumbling out the car, throwing maybe a little too much money at your chauffer, you kept your hands tightly wrapped in Axel’s shirt as the two of you fumbled with several sets of stairs and doors. The minute the elevator doors closed he had you up against the wall, a hand hooked under your thigh to grind his cock against your core as you tilted your head back and moaned.

He bit at your neck, panting when he looked at you, your eyes dazed. He flicked his eyes around the mirrored elevator walls, and his eyes glinted devilishly. “I like the view,” he purred. “We should try this some time.” You bucked up against him and he hissed, hoisting you up so your legs wrapped around him as he carried you to Reno’s apartment.

With a flurry your clothes were quickly shed, then he was laying you down on the couch, crawling eagerly down your body to spread your legs apart to make you come undone. You wanted to drink in every moment, wanted to burn this into your memory, but more often than not your eyes were squeezed shut as you gasped his name, leaving you with flashes.

Axel, licking his lips before kissing you. Axel palming your breasts, his hand large enough to engulf the flesh as he pinched and teased them. His other arm lifting your lower back up, his cock sliding teasingly against you as he spilled filthy promises into your ear. The way he groaned and threw his head back when he started to enter you. The way he watched his dick slowly fully press in; his eyes dark when they finally met yours. 

His husky, “You’re so tight, baby girl.”

Your eyes slammed shut after that as he rocked into you, sending you higher and higher until your throat was raw from screaming his name. He had you more times than you cared to count, letting you float through your pleasure with your mind pleasantly blank. After he exhausted you, him, and every single position on the couch, you quietly slipped out of his sleepy hold, quickly dressing as you called yourself a cab. “You’re going?”

You froze and looked over your shoulder at him, his arms behind his head as he blinked lazily at you, fighting to keep his eyes open. You padded back over to him and kissed the corner of his mouth. “I have to. Thanks, by the way.”

“For what?”

“For talking to me.” You smiled, small but sincere, and left. The cab driver said nothing about the tiny sips of whiskey you were taking in the back, the mickey smuggled under your coat as he drove you home. Glancing at your phone, you ignored the sick pit in your stomach when you saw the borderline obscene number of texts and calls from Seb. Right now, all you wanted to do was go home and sleep. You paid, thanked the cabby, and marvelled that you were finally home before 3am for the first time in a long time. You wondered what your parents were going to say as you watched the car turn the corner. 

A pair of headlights turned on, and you knew without looking that the purr of the car slowly driving up behind you was Seb’s Audi. When you’d first seen it, you’d gushed and fussed over how sexy it was. Now the sight filled you with dread. The window rolled down and the sheer force behind his eyes made you flinch.

“Get in.”

You didn’t want to. You were scared. You’d never been on the receiving end of his anger before, but you’d witnessed it many, many times.

You got in.

He peeled up the hem of your dress and pushed your legs apart, his hand swiping roughly against your underwear. “Who’d you fuck?” You stayed silent, shaking. “I asked you a fucking question. Who’d. You. FUCK.” He screamed the last word in your face and you cowered in your seat, wondering if you were fast enough to run from him. As if he could read your mind, he locked the doors and turned the engine over, peeling off down the road. He was hurling insults at you, his voice booming in the car, but the panic clouding your mind only had you worried about Axel. Axel, who had taken the time to sit with you. Axel, who bought you those stupid flip flops and fish and chips. 

Seb’s car careened through the street and came to a screeching halt outside the club the two of you had been at. “You’re going to tell me what fucking asshole thought putting his hands on _my girl_ was a good idea, and then you’re going to watch me beat the living shit out of him. And then maybe you and everybody else in this goddamn fucking city will finally know what happens when you fuck with my shit.” Flecks of his spit were hitting your face, and he started laughing when he saw you crying. 

“Why’re you crying? Why’re you crying, sweetheart?” He tugged your chin up with two fingers. “What did you think was going to happen, huh? If you tell me who it is right now, I’ll go easy on them. Maybe.” You stayed silent, mouth trembling as you fought to meet his gaze. His eyes were dark, fathomless, and wild. You could see the capillaries criss-crossing the whites, and the way his pupils nearly swallowed the dark brown irises left you cold. His eyes flicked down, and you knew…you knew he could see the fresh hickey on your neck, a souvenir from when Axel had you bent over the arm of the couch. His face shifted into something ugly. 

“Fuck.” He pushed your face away and threaded his hands through his hair. “Oh, fuck. It was that guy wasn’t it? Reno’s fucking cousin. That fucking asshole that couldn’t keep his hands off you. I’m going to fucking kill him. I’m going to fucking KILL HIM.”

Your heart leapt into your throat and you frantically tried to grab weakly at his arms. “No, no it wasn’t I swear. I swear it wasn’t. Seb, I promise. I promise I promise I promise.”

“Why the _fuck_ would I believe you?” he snarled, crowding you against the window once more. You turned and pointed a shaking finger outside at the loudest, drunkest man standing outside: someone you vaguely remembered called Eric Prince, swaggering about the sidewalk as he laughed.

“It was him.”

Looking back at it now, you knew he didn’t believe you. He knew you were lying, but he needed an outlet. In the grand scheme of things, you didn’t matter to him; he was angrier that someone had touched a piece of his property, not because he actually cared about you. Business came first and he knew he couldn’t afford to lose Reno’s support by beating up his cousin. Every now and again you’d wonder how someone that young had ended up filled with so much hate. How someone just barely a year older than you had found their way into the seediest parts of Atlantica and decided to try and establish himself as a force to be reckoned with. How everyone had just let him. 

At the time, you’d just numbly let him drag you from the car and over to the unsuspecting victim, letting you bear witness as he landed the first blow. The bouncers didn’t say a thing, just turned their backs and ushered the gaping crowd away. 

Seb was animalistic. He knocked the man back, a sick crunch of bone and a wordless yell accompanying a veritable river of blood pouring from the victim’s nose as he yelped, “What the fuck did I do to you?” 

He swung and missed. Seb punched him in the gut, Eric wheezing as he clutched at his middle as tears sparked in his eyes. Not slowing down, next there was a kick to the leg, a knee to the groin, another punch. He landed heavy on the ground, Seb holding him up by the collar of his shirt. His eyes were already starting to bruise, his lip was split. 

“Don’t touch my fucking girl,” Seb snarled, and landed another punch. His knuckle split open on Eric’s two front teeth, rivulets of blood dripping down his fingers. Eric groaned wordlessly, trying to form words. Seb hit him again, sending his head whipping to the side as more bone cracked. Eric landed on his hands and knees, breathing heavily as he spat blood onto the pavement. There was a clack, and you recoiled in disgust when you noticed the tooth.

“You see this?” Seb pointed a finger at Eric, his eyes trained on you. He had specks of blood across his face. “You see what happens when you do this shit?” He aimed a kick at Eric’s gut, ending his futile attempt to crawl away. “You see what happens when you fuck someone else?” Another kick, this time to the side of his head. Your hands flew to your mouth, bile rising in your throat as you stared at the limp body on the ground. Somebody screamed.

“Seb, stop,” you whimpered through your fingers, your quavering voice barely audible.

“Nobody fucking touches you,” Seb ground out, each word punctuated with a stomp. Another bone cracked. He rolled Eric towards you with his foot, and you nearly cried out at the unrecognizable face that looked up at you, nearly beaten to a pulp. The flesh was already purple and swollen, and his leg was bent at a strange angle. He twitched minutely, the motion enough for Seb to kick him again, the steel toe of his boot cracking a few ribs. 

“Stop.” Seb straddled him and started punching again. Blood splattered across your shoes. You stared down unseeingly at your feet. You were still wearing the flip flops; you could feel the blood seeping between your toes and you shrieked, “STOP.” 

Without thinking, you flung yourself at Seb, tackling him around the chest. The two of you tumbled to the ground, your elbow stinging as you skidded across the sidewalk. One of your sandals fell off and your dress tore, and you flailed as you struggled to get to your feet once you registered that you were sitting in a puddle of Eric’s blood. You wanted to throw up.

Seb towered over you, his body blocking the streetlight. “Did you just try to stop me?” He grabbed a fistful of your hair and pulled and you cried out, pain lancing through your head as you scrabbled to release his hold, clawing at his hand. “Are you _fucking kidding me_.” He raised a hand and you paled, your eyes puffy and wet with tears, your legs covered in someone else’s blood as you starting to scream.

There was a sharp pull to your head and then nothing. You dared to open your eyes, sirens tearing through the air as more police cars pulled up, two officers already pinning Seb to the ground as he struggled and howled. A pair of firefighters were unfolding a stretcher, another taking Eric’s pulse, and a fourth gently wrapping an arm around you and coaxing you to stand.

Everything was blurring together as they wrapped a blanket around you, trying to block your view as the officers slammed Seb against the side of the car, cuffing him as he continued to rage. He caught your eye as they were pushing him into the back seat, and even though they turned him away you knew he was talking to you when he shrieked, “You’re done, you hear me? You’re fucking done!” 

The rest moved quickly. The quiet conversation with your parents as they stood in the door, staring at your disheveled state. Your mother was pale and shaking, hiccuping through her tears. Hiro was standing sleepily on the stairs, his eyes widening when he saw you walk in. He turned and gently told Mira to go back to bed, forcing her back upstairs into her room so she wouldn’t see. You sat wordlessly in the shower as your mother gently washed you clean, her fingers combing out the dried blood in your hair. 

She slept in your bed with you that night, a wordless agreement that had her curled around your body, her arms tight around you as if she was worried you’d disappear if she let go. It was soothing and warm, but it did little to make you feel better as you began to silently cry, the shyly rising sun the only witness to your shame and fear. 

~*~

Riku was quiet. At some point he’d tried to hold you, but you’d pushed him away determined to face your fears alone. You hadn’t spoken about it since it had happened, any ‘friends’ you’d left in Atlantica fading away like dust in the wind once you moved. He wanted to reach out, wrap you up, kiss you and tell you everything was going to be okay, but the bitterness that lay heavy on your shoulders told him otherwise. 

Truthfully, he couldn’t wrap his head around the story. It sounded like a lie; like something that would only happen in movies, like something he couldn’t ever picture happening here. Granted he had gotten into his fair share of scuffles when he was younger, typically against Seifer, but there was a finely drawn line that everyone knew not to cross. Hurting to the point of maiming was unspeakable. If he hadn’t noticed the difference and distance between the two of you before, he did now. He felt silly for taking so long to realize, but it finally clicked that you’d grown up with a very different set of rules from him; growing up in Destiny Islands sounded like a fairy tale compared to what you’d gone through. He looked at you sitting hunched over and staring steadily at your bedspread, picking anxiously at a loose thread. 

“Hey.” You looked up at him, just managing to keep the fear bubbling up inside you at bay. He cleared his throat. “Your past doesn’t matter to me.”

You laughed, dryly. “It should.”

“Well, it doesn’t,” he insisted stubbornly. “You didn’t ask Seb to almost kill that guy.”

“I might as well have.”

“You were protecting yourself. You didn’t know how bad it was going to get.” He quickly continued when you went to speak. “You’re not the bad guy in this.”

You stared blankly at him. You’d just regaled him with a story about how you used to drink, do drugs, and party without any regard for your own safety or your family’s concern. You’d told him about how you’d cheated on your ex-boyfriend, turned his ire towards an innocent victim, and then forced your entire family to relocate purely for your own safety. And you weren’t the bad guy?

“You didn’t ask for any of this to happen to you,” he said gently, and shifted closer. Gradually he put his arms around you again, pressing you into his chest until you relaxed. He felt safe and comforting, his clean clothing saturated with the smell of fabric softener that you were very quickly associating with him. He was trying to listen, to understand, to help you work through this. Yet even as he kissed the top of your head, quietly whispering reassurances to you, you couldn’t help but feel like he had missed the point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Axel sang (mentions of violence, stalking, and other not good stuff in it): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-cwrBVOYgc
> 
> Okay so I had to finagle some things because I was like, "there's no way I'm writing two sex scenes with minors even if they're both minors." For the sake of this story just ignore the traditional "you should be graduating at 17!" and instead assume that Destiny Islands just has a REALLY REALLY REALLY good educational system and they offer five years of high school vs the typical four. 
> 
> As it is right now the characters are aged:
> 
> Sora, Roxas, Tidus: 17 (fourth year)  
> Riku: 17 turning 18 (fifth year)  
> MC: 18 (fifth year)  
> Hiro: 19  
> Axel, Cloud, Demyx, Vivi: 20


	15. Mardy Bum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Song here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcI5-nOEsYM)

There it was, on your phone for all to see.

You had no shame whatsoever, continuously tapping the lock button just to watch the tiny screen illuminate once more as you stared, transfixed. Tidus had blessed you with the most beautiful photo known to man, and you wanted to kiss him for it even if he’d followed it up with “you’re welcome” and a string of vomiting emojis. Somehow the planets had aligned and for the briefest moment, Riku had dropped the careful barrier he kept around him and actually fucking smiled…in front of Roxas no less, with such ease and levity it almost made your heart ache.

You couldn’t stop drinking in the damp swimsuit clinging to his long, lean legs, the way his one hand was casually pushing up the edge of his rash-guard, the hem sliding up to reveal the edge of a mouth-watering, toned stomach and the sharp cut of his Adonis belt. His slight tan glowed on his arms in the afternoon light, the firmly muscled forearms and biceps tantalizing in pixel form. The killer was the way his damp hair clung gently to his face, curving along the peak of his cheekbones and just tickling the corners of his mouth.

The crinkled eyes with the slightest peek of aquamarine, the long lashes dark with water, and the damn smile were fit to make you want to dive through your phone and kiss it over and over until everyone knew it was yours and yours alone.

“Get off your fucking phone already.” A pillow flew through the air and smacked you in the face. You jerked your head up, indignant as Axel grinned playfully at you. He waved another throw cushion menacingly in the air. “What’s so interesting anyway?”

He pushed himself towards you and looked at the swiftly fading photo of Riku, and scoffed. “Christ. You’re disgusting.”

“I haven’t seen him in weeks! I’m allowed to do shit like this,” you said with a pout.

Hiro rolled his eyes and instinctively jerked the controller in his hands as if it would keep him from crashing Toad into the wall. “I don’t know why you want to. I hate that guy.”

You rolled your eyes. “Hiro, you hate everyone I date.”

“That’s because you date morons.” He cursed silently under his breath as Vivi sped past him, Yoshi hopping up and down on screen once he crossed the finish line.

“Riku’s not a moron,” Vivi said with a grin, flopping down across Hiro’s lap as he scrolled through the menu, nuzzling his head into his boyfriend’s knee. “Well…not a total moron.”

Axel laughed. “That’s an understatement,” he said with a chuckle, grabbing the controller out of Hiro’s hands. “Vivi, man…if you choose Rainbow Road again, I’m kicking you out of the band.” Vivi cast a coy look over his shoulder as he did just that, Axel groaning as he settled back into the couch.

“You guys are being mean. He’s top of our year right now,” you muttered, resisting the urge to stare at the photo again, but you were weak-willed and you did so about two seconds after you promised yourself you wouldn’t.

Hiro shouted, “Hit him with the red shell!” at the screen, leaning forward as Vivi yelped.

“You’re supposed to be cheering me on, asshole!” the older boy grumbled, trying to push the loose t-shirt in front of his face out of his eyes.

“I love you and support you, but I refuse to stand by you and your tyrannical rule over Mario Kart,” Hiro declared, absentmindedly tucking his t-shirt behind Vivi’s head. “(Name), there’s a difference between being book smart and street smart. Riku wouldn’t last a week in Atlantica.”

“Atlantica and Destiny Islands are two opposite sides of the spectrum,” you argued with a frown. “You can’t seriously be putting him in a hypothetical situation in a politically corrupt city when you look at where he’s from. Of course he wouldn’t survive!”

“Someone’s been doing their supplementary reading,” Axel chuckled. You pinched his forearm hard and he jumped, swearing under his breath as Vivi sped past him. “I grew up here and I did okay when I went, so I’m with Hiro on this one.”

Hiro turned to look at him, surprised. “You’ve been to Atlantica?”

Axel hesitated and your heart nearly stopped. You prayed to all things pure and holy he would have the common sense to keep your former tryst a secret. God knows what Hiro would do or say if he found out the not so savoury truth about his friend and his younger sister.

“Yeah I just visited some family for a week. Nothing crazy,” Axel said lightly. Vivi used a star and cackled as he raced down the track.

You let out a breath you didn’t know you’d been holding, forcing yourself to relax the desperate grip you had on your phone. “Just because you’re soulless and corrupt doesn’t mean everyone else is. Riku’s away on a trip right now, and he’s doing just fine.”

“With his _parents_. And you seriously can’t be counting Port Royal. There’s a huge difference between travelling on your own and going somewhere for a two-week blitzball training camp. Totally different stories.” You glared at Axel’s profile, but he didn’t even so much as glance your way, his shoulders tensing as he just about broke the controller with his thumb.

“It’s still something,” you said sullenly.

Axel made the mistake of rolling his eyes and he swore again as he skidded off the side of the road. “Come on, he’s an island boy. You think he knows what it’s like to live away from here?”

“You live like 45 minutes away.”

“Still a big difference, sweetheart.”

You bristled. “DON’T call me sweetheart.”

“Okay, no sweetheart. What should I call you then?”

“I have a name,” you sulked.

“But that’s no fun. Come on, pick one. Doll face, sweet cheeks, pumpkin, cupcake, muffin, babe, baby—“

“Just don’t even bother talking to me anymore.”

“—baby girl?”

Your voice stuttered to a halt as a very intimate memory flooded your mind’s eye, and you reflexively recoiled your feet from where they’d been resting on his knee.

“Axel, stop flirting with my sister in front of me,” Hiro said flatly, watching Vivi start his final lap.

“I’m not flirting with her,” Axel muttered, hunching forwards as he stared at the tv.

“Whatever you say, bud.”

You frowned at the back of your brother’s head. “Aren’t you supposed to get all overly protective like always? You’re not going to threaten his life or something?”

“Not worth it,” Hiro said flippantly, waving his hand.

You snuggled deeper into the warm arm of the couch, looking at your phone screen once more. “Somehow you always find the time and energy to bitch at Riku.”

Hiro shrugged. “I told you. I just don’t like him.”

“Ugh.” You kicked the throw cushions off the couch, smiling victoriously when a few knocked his arm. “Why not?”

“There’s just something about him,” Hiro replied thoughtfully. “Maybe it’s ‘cause he always looks like he expects everyone to suck his dick and eat his ass.”

“HIRO.” Vivi’s choked laughter was enough to send Yoshi careening off the track, Daisy zooming over the finish line as Axel trailed right after her, Luigi sadly shaking his head at the screen.

“Fuck! So fucking close.” He tossed the controller to you. “It’s all you now,” he said, his eyes glimmering with mirth as he fought to keep a solemn expression. “You’re our last hope.” You laughed as a controller knocked him on the head, bouncing off his forehead to land in his lap.

“Nah, we’re out,” Vivi said, pinching your cheek as he walked past. “We’ll have a rematch another time.”

“Where are you guys going?” you asked, rubbing the slight sting out of your face.

“Over to Vivi’s to grab some stuff. We’re doing a last-minute trip tomorrow to the cottage before school starts up.” Hiro held up a finger when Axel opened his mouth. “Alone. Just the two of us. Nobody else. Not to party.” He held up another finger. “Don’t tell anybody, or give them the idea that they should surprise us there for some impromptu bacchanalia.” He paused. “Demyx. I’m saying, ‘Don’t tell Demyx’.”

Axel lazily saluted him, smirking. “You got it, boss.” 

You rolled onto your stomach, kicking your legs in the air. Axel swatted at your feet when they almost collided with his face. “Have fun,” you said morosely, your arms hanging limp to the floor as you watched them go wistfully. Spending the last few days of your winter break at a cottage sounded like a dream. You’d felt unjustly abandoned when all the boys had guiltily told you they were going to be gone through Christmas and New Year’s, each held prisoner by athletic and family obligations.

You half-heartedly flipped back around and started a new game, spending the better part of the next hour seeing how long you could prod Axel’s thighs with your toes before he got annoyed. If everyone else was off doing fun things, you were going to make Axel feel as irritable and left out as you did.

Axel finally grabbed hold of one of your ankles, tickling it. “Don’t be such a wiener.”

You glared daggers at him, and that infuriating smirk bloomed on his face again. This man wasn’t helping you feel better at all. Somehow over the course of the longest three weeks of your life, Hiro had decided the best way to take your mind off of the distinctly Riku shaped hole in your life was to invite _his_ boyfriend over and be obnoxiously adorable with him in front of you. With Demyx off presumably trying to convince his parents to give him another forward on his allowance and Cloud gallivanting through Departure with his younger brothers for a family reunion, Axel had ended up tagging along for the visits.

There’d been a muttered something or other about the Mayor being far too busy bonding with his laptop and phone to worry about spending time with his children, and so Axel became a regular in your household. Part of you was itching to know what that meant for Kairi and Xion, but your pride took precedence and you would rather wax your nostrils than ask how Kairi was doing. Besides, his presence helped fill the void your friends had left, though the flurry of texts promising you they’d all for sure be back tomorrow helped temper the feeling in addition to Axel’s witty repartee.

“Seriously? You’re calling me a wiener?” You kicked your foot free of his hold, but he grabbed it again and yanked, dragging you towards him. You shrieked with laughter, and grabbed a pillow off the ground, smacking him in the face with it.

“You are being a wiener,” he spluttered through the mouthful of fluff in his mouth. He yanked the pillow out of your hands and started hitting you with it as you yelled, shielding your face with your arms. Somehow you managed to grab onto an edge, and the two of you tussled for control.

“You’re the wiener!” you shouted, and you paused as you considered the words you’d just spoken, wondering if you were seriously in the middle of a pillow fight right now, trading the most infantile insults you could come up with, with a grown-ass man. “Who the fuck calls someone a wiener at your age?”

“Who’s the person moping because they haven’t seen their boyfriend for two and a half weeks?” he countered, arching an eyebrow.

You flushed. “It’s a long time! If you had more than one feeling at a time you’d probably agree.” You wrenched the pillow from him, victorious.

He was trying not to smile, holding up his hands in defeat. “Who says I don’t?”

“Probably every single girl who’s just an unsaved number in your phone,” you quipped, arching an eyebrow when his phone buzzed, the string of numbers on the screen proving your point.

He looked down at it. “Fair.”

In the time you’d been graced with his company (something you’d insist was an annoyance to his face, though deep down you were incredibly grateful in the face of some of the most adorable and sickening couple cuddle time you’d seen; Roxas was probably somewhere telling you it was karmic retribution) you would’ve had to been completely oblivious not to notice the amount of times he disappeared early in the evening, spouting a vague excuse about needing to be somewhere as he stared resolutely at his phone. A few times you’d caught a glimpse of the edge of a few provocative photos, only serving to confirm your theory.

“One day maybe you’ll settle down and actually feel things for someone, and then you’ll get what it’s like wanting to spend all your time with them,” you said, a faint smile on your face as you hugged the pillow to your chest.

Axel frowned. “You’re acting like I’ve never dated anyone before.”

“For more than three months?”

“…also fair.”

Another benefit of becoming closer with Axel and finally setting aside all trepidation was the plethora of stories Roxas had, despite the three-year gap between the two. Somewhere along the way of growing up the tiny, angry, skateboard prodigy had wormed his way into his older brother’s friend group and staked a claim in that tiny, exclusive club. It also meant he had more than enough stories about Axel’s disastrous attempts at dating, only tempered by Cloud’s equally awful escapades. Rina was convinced her eldest son just hadn’t found ‘the one’ yet, but commended him for trying. Sora and Roxas saw all his ‘tries’ for the conquests they really were, but lord knows they and their father weren’t ready to break Rina’s rose-coloured glasses.

Axel didn’t bother with the pretense at all, basking instead in the awed worship of his friends (read: Demyx) at his kill count, and doling advice to the unlucky men (read: still Demyx) who weren’t as naturally successful in the art of seduction as he was.

“Maybe I just need to find the right girl,” he mused, tying his hair back into a sloppy ponytail.

You scoffed. “Or you could just not be a dick.”

He grabbed your hand, feigning sincerity as he clasped it in his. “Will you teach me the ways? The true path to romance and convincing my lady love to give anal a try?”

Your “get wrecked” was cut short by the sound of the doorbell, both of you jumping at the sudden interruption. Untangling your fingers from his, you trotted obediently to the door.

“Riku!” Your surprise swiftly melted into unadulterated joy like winter into spring as you flung yourself into his arms and almost knocked him backwards.

“Hey,” he said softly, tucking your hair behind your ear as you moulded your body against his. You could feel his smile against yours as you kissed him, your eagerness catching as you hummed happily.

“Guess that’s my cue to leave.” They two of you reluctantly stepped apart, and your smile turned apologetic as you watched Axel toe on his shoes.

You leaned your head against Riku’s shoulder, oblivious to the way his eyes were narrowed as he stared Axel down, his gaze darting into the house as he tried to confirm if there was anybody else at home. “Bye.”

Axel smiled at you and chucked your chin. Riku’s entire body shifted, his arms pulling you closer to him. “See you, baby cakes.” He finally looked Riku in the eye and laughed scathingly, pulling a pack of smokes out of his pocket as he ambled down the stairs.

Sure, maybe the pet name was a bit heavy handed, and maybe he could’ve done without the affectionate gesture, but Axel was nothing if not stubborn and he wasn’t going to let the appearance of one surly boyfriend negate the hurdles and obstacles he’d crossed to get to this point in your friendship. It didn’t matter how murderous he looked. Axel had, after all, already defied a crazier ex of yours; one Island Boy was small potatoes in comparison. He hummed as he got into his car, all too conscious of the cold stare following him, and he selfishly wished the next time Riku went away for pre-season he accidentally drowned. He started to drive away, singing Mariah Carey’s _Obsessed_ under his breath; he chanced one last look at your house in the rear-view mirror and ignored the disappointment that settled across his skin when he saw you’d already gone inside.

You nuzzled your face into Riku’s chest, inhaling deeply. You’d missed this particular cocktail of chlorine and detergent. You’d missed the firm chest barely hidden by those damn soft cotton tees he owned. You’d missed the way his varsity jacket fit so perfectly on his shoulders, tapering around his narrow waist. You’d missed the way you had to tilt up on your toes to kiss him, and with a start you realized he’d grown an inch since you saw him last. The thought sent more warm, fuzzy feelings through your chest as you basked in the daydream of how you must look standing next to your deliciously tall, handsome, muscular boyfriend.

“Missed you.” Your voice was muffled against his jaw as you trailed kisses along it, your arms creeping under his jacket to wrap around his back. Your fingers itched to touch bare skin, but the taut threads of your self-control told you to take things slow…for now.

“What was Axel doing here?”

“Just hanging out. Hiro and Vivi wanted to play Mario Kart.” You were too busy pressing a kiss to the hollow between his collarbones to notice the tight note in his voice.

“They’re still here?”

“Nope. Fucked off to the cottage for some sweet, sweet loving.” Your hands ran tenderly up and down his back, tracing along his shoulder blades. Contentment was washing over you, even as your libido screamed at you to make a move already.

He looked down at you. “They fucked off?”

“Oof. Sorry.” You looked up at him, apologetic. “Axel swears like a sailor…guess he’s rubbing off on me.”

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with him?” A beat. “Alone?”

Finally, you clued in that something was off. Your body wailed in protest as you slowly stepped back, but the look on his face quickly silenced it. “Yeah. And?”

His jaw clenched. “Just wondering.”

Your eyes narrowed, and you could feel your chest tightening, which was always a bad sign. You tried to even out your breathing, intent on not ruining your first night together. “Ri, I already missed your birthday; I don’t want to waste our time together. We were just having fun before you showed up.”

“And me showing up made things not fun?”

As pretty as he was, he could be thick as a pile of bricks. “That’s not what I meant. I want you guys to get along and not be so stupidly weird around each other.”

Riku’s arms loosened, and his eyes were just as flinty as yours, a flush creeping up his neck. “I don’t like him.”

“Yeah no shit, I noticed.” You had to remind yourself to breathe again, trying to quell the shaking in your hands. “Is it because he’s Kairi’s brother?” you asked, doing your best to keep your voice polite.

“No, it’s because he’s an asshole.”

Any attempt at civility flew out the window as you pushed his arms away from you. “I’m not going to stop spending time with someone because you think he’s an asshole for reasons you can’t explain.”

Riku crossed his arms, glowering at you. You refused to back down and stood a little straighter. Damn him and his height; you were taking it back. Him being tall wasn’t a good thing. “I don’t trust him.”

“Then trust me!” you exclaimed, voice a little louder than you intended. You took a moment, and tugged at the bottom of his shirt. “Look, I’m going to be honest with you. I didn’t realize you were getting home early and I promised him I’d see him tomorrow.”

His frown got bigger and you stopped him with a hand on his arm. “I’m not going to bail on him just because you have some weird vendetta.” Your voice was firm and final. You’d had enough of being controlled and isolated by Seb…it was time for you to remember what it was like living your own life and choosing the people you associated with

But Riku wasn’t going to have it. “Why do you need to spend time with him? You’ve seen him more than enough.”

“Because he’s my friend?” you countered, fighting to keep from rolling your eyes.

“Your friend.”

“Yes, Riku, my friend. Surprisingly I have friends outside of you, Tidus, Roxas, and Sora. It’s shocking I know.”

He took in a sharp breath and pressed his lips together, looking aside for a moment. The faint light from the front door wasn’t enough to pierce the shadows around his eyes; you wanted to push his hair back, look in that insanely beautiful face and just tell him to forget the whole thing, but you hesitated. When he finally spoke, it was quiet and bitter, the sad admission of a man forced to reveal his unhappy truth. When he looked at you it was with such vulnerability and fear it made you want to cry. “What about us?”

You softened, and stroked his cheek, easing your way back into his embrace. “Riku. I’m going to make time to see you. I will; I promise.” You sighed and rested your head on his shoulder. “I’m so stupid happy you’re here right now and if I could run away somewhere and hide with you until school started up again I would. But bailing on a friend for my boyfriend, no matter how much you hate them, is a dick move.”

When he held you, it felt right; it felt like home. It dulled the sharp ache inside you that had missed his warmth and company, that had kept you up at night tossing and turning, wondering if he was thinking about you as much as you were thinking about him.

Then he ruined it. “He’s a dick. I don’t want you to see him.”

You growled, frustrated, your hands fisting his shirt as you tried to reason that suffocating yourself with his jacket wasn’t going to solve anything. “We’re literally just arguing in circles right now,” you said, more to the floor than to him. “I can’t live my life based on who you’re okay with me talking to. That’s not how things work. That’s not how _relationships_ work.”

His face immediately closed off, any and all emotional honesty gone within the blink of an eye. You scrambled to come up with something before you lost him, and you blurted out, “You still talk to Maleficent even though I’ve told you a million times by now I think she’s into you.”

He shrugged uncomfortably, his lips thinning. “Mal’s a...friend.”

“And so is Axel.”

“That’s different,” Riku insisted, squeezing your shoulders as if that would knock some sense into you. You groaned again and threw your head back, knocking it against the wall.

You stared up at the ceiling, the popcorn texture blurring as your eyes began to well up. “Go home.” You sniffed a little, jerking your head to the side when he tried to swipe a thumb across your cheek. “I’m not doing this bullshit fight anymore.”

“(Name)…” You refused to look at him, terrified of how easily you’d succumb to his soft voice and eyes if you did. You had a point to prove, and you’d be damned if you didn’t stand by it. After a few more seconds of stubborn silence, he muttered, “fine” and let you go, walking out the door without a backwards glance.

~*~

The forecast had promised sun, but the sky was overcast and grey when you woke up the next day. Normally this would be a cause for celebration, an excuse to spend all day indoors lazing about with Riku as the two of you stole kisses and quiet moments together. Instead, you were home alone without a boyfriend to take advantage of the rarity, and you kept having to fight to keep from crying.

“Great. That’s just wonderful,” you muttered as you glared outside. The sky grew a shade darker, and you growled, burying your nose under your covers. If you wanted to be completely honest with yourself, you’d admit that part of you knew Riku wouldn’t be happy about you and Axel becoming friends. In spite of every single time he’d told you it was okay, there had always been the edge of something bordering on anger in his eyes, just barely out of reach.

Your phone chimed suddenly, and your blankets went flying as you fumbled around your bed for it.

**Still on for today?**

Distracting yourself from a fight with your boyfriend with the very reason for the fight wasn’t necessarily the smartest option, but you were stubborn and you were sad, and the two combined ended up making you say, “Fuck it” as you replied with a cheery **yes!** , and several thumbs up emojis (and one cactus because your finger slipped).

You weren’t expecting much in the way of adventure what with the weather being what it was, but you were still pleasantly surprised by the sheer amount of time you spent laughing and smiling as the two of you drove about town. There was nothing particularly special about cruising down well-worn roads, smiling widely at the frowning adults when the booming bass from the radio heralded your approach, but it felt freeing be able to do absolutely nothing at all. That was what you liked about Axel best: the lack of pressure, not feeling like you needed to be cute, or smart, or funny, or interesting in order to hold his attention.

As the afternoon wore on the heavens slowly opened, a light drizzle swiftly turning into torrential downpour and forcing you to retreat to his house. There were giggles and swearing as you ran to his front door, and you squealed when he shook his hair out on you like a wet dog. Your giddiness was short-lived once you made it inside, your playful insult dying on your lips when you saw Kairi sitting on the couch.

“’Sup,” Axel said with a nod, clattering through the cupboards for the cherry cola he’d promised you. “I thought you were hanging with Naminé today.”

Kairi watched you sidle into the kitchen, her thumbs poised over her phone. “Dad took my car because his is in the shop. Can I borrow yours?”

“No way. I’m heading back to Hollow Bastion in like an hour. Get Nams to pick you up.” Axel tossed you your drink, laughing when you fumbled for the can.

“She can’t. Her mom has the car,” Kairi explained, slowly, as if he should already know this.

Axel stretched languidly, leaning against the counter as he regarded his little sister with absolutely no sympathy. “Then walk.”

“All the way to Castle Crescent in the rain?” Kairi squinted at him then at you, as if blaming you for his blatant stupidity. You ducked your head and slurped noisily on your drink instead, praying that either she would leave or you and Axel would, just to defuse what felt like a potentially horrible situation.

Then the universe laughed uproariously, winked at you, and promptly told you to go fuck yourself. Axel’s phone rang, he answered it, and then things began to turn south. After a brief two minutes conversation that was mostly sighs and swearing on his end, he shoved his phone back into his pocket with so much force you were surprised he didn’t tear a hole in his pocket.

“I gotta go quick. Demyx has been back on the islands for two fucking hours and he lost his wallet again,” Axel grumbled. “For someone who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth this guy is constantly broke. I’m always spotting this fucker.”

Freedom! It was right around the corner! “I can go with you,” you offered, already edging towards the door.

“Nah it’ll take like fifteen minutes tops. You can just hang out with Kairi.” You chanced a look in her direction, and confirmed that she had the exact same thunderstruck and repulsed expression on her face that you did on yours.

“That’s. I—” You gave up trying to speak and tilted your head to the side, fixing Axel with the facial equivalent of “no fucking thanks”.

“No fucking thanks,” Kairi said, without any qualms whatsoever.

Axel shrugged on his coat and jingled his keys at the two of you, clearly not interested in playing mediator. “Just talk about shopping or boys or something.” It took him a moment to remember who you were dating. “Maybe not boys,” he amended, and then he was out the door.

You swung your arms awkwardly at your side, wondering if it would be too much to sit with her. “So…”

“Don’t talk to me. You’re Axel’s friend, not mine.”

You bit your lip hard, and forced a tight smile. “Okay, I get it. You don’t like me. I’m just trying to be civil.”

She looked back down at her phone, scrolling up the screen as she huffed. “Don’t bother.”

Your patience, already worn thin, crumbled entirely. She was sitting with her ankles neatly crossed, reclining against the back of the couch like was royalty and you were the scum of the earth. Your wounded pride had already taken enough barbed jabs, and you snapped. “Don’t you think it’s a little stupid that you’re so mad at me just because I’m dating your ex? Or one of your exes, I guess.” She looked up at that, her eyes filled with fire as you beamed. “Maybe it makes sense you’re pissed at the girl who got everything you lost.”

“What did you just say?”

Your smile dropped. “Do you really want me to say it again?”

“You’re a bitch.”

“At least I didn’t fuck around with my best friends and make them hate me. What made you think that was a good idea?”

“I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

“You’re right, you don’t have to.” You sat gracefully on the loveseat, downing the last of your drink. “Riku and Roxas already covered everything for me.”

Kairi bristled like a cat caught in a corner, venom and vitriol pouring off of her as she hissed, “You’re so— It’s none of your business. Whatever happened between me, Riku, and Sora is between us. Nobody else. You don’t get to decide it matters to you just because you became friends with them. You weren’t here, you have no idea what we were to each other, and you don’t get to decide that I’m the bad guy.”

You made a show of lifting your hand, counting your fingers. “You used both of them, cheated on them, and then had the audacity to make them lie to each other and I’m not allowed to— This might be news to you, but _you_ decided you were the bad guy when you tried to have your cake and eat it too. All everyone else has done is agree, Riku and Sora included.”

If the look she was giving you was any indication, Kairi was another ten seconds away from ripping the hair from your head as she clawed out your eyes. “I didn’t do it because I was being selfish! I didn’t want them to fight or get jealous or ruin anything so I lied because I thought it was the best thing to do. I cared— _care_ about them more than you know and I’m not going to let some dumb slut act like she knows anything about me.”

“I’m the slut? Really?”

She lurched forward, hands clutching at the edge of the cushion. “ _I didn’t want to hurt them_.” She crumpled, shaking and sobbing as she hugged herself. You were frozen, a stricken expression on your face as you scrambled to figure out at what point things had gone from bad to worse. Guilt clung oily and slick to your heart as you tried to justify pushing her until she broke.

“Why didn’t you just tell them the truth? Or just…choose one of them.”

Her laugh was watery, her stuffed nose muting her normally bell-like voice. “Don’t be stupid. Things change when you date someone. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve known each other before that.” She covered her face with a trembling hand as she sniffled, hiccupping quietly. Then in the softest, tiniest voice you ever heard her use, she whispered, “I didn’t want to lose anyone again.”

Your anger was snuffed out, your stomach in knots. You didn’t want to comfort her, not even a little, but a very small voice in your heard reminded you that she and Axel had lost their mother at a young age and considering the things you’d done when you still had both your parents, you weren’t in a position to judge…no matter how much you disliked her.

“I’m…sorry,” you forced out through gritted teeth. She arched an eyebrow at you, disbelief stamped across her brow. This was infinitely more difficult than you imagined it would be, but you pushed yourself to say the stupid words. “It must have been hard growing up without a mom to help you through stuff like this.” There. You said it. You gave her an out.

She was quiet for a moment, slowly mulling over your words. “Axel told you?”

“Well, no not exactly, but I don’t really want to bring up your mom dying until he’s—”

“Oh my god,” she cackled. “You really are stupid. She didn’t die.” Her voice was cold, her eyes colder. “She left when we were kids because she got tired of pretending to be happy with someone she didn’t care about.”

Whether good luck or bad, at that moment Axel returned home, singing _Gold-digger_ as he meandered towards the living room. He stopped at the edge of the living room, perched on the outskirts of the warzone as he warily took the scene in.

“What’s going on?”

Kairi swiped the back of her wrists under her eyes, flipped her hair over her shoulder, and rose with all the grace of a flower unfurling under the sun. “It stopped raining. I’m walking to Nami’s.”

For the second time in two days you wound up watching someone walk away, feeling like there were a million things left unsaid. Your thoughts were jumbled, bouncing rapidly around your head as you heard the front door open and shut. 

~*~

Riku hated rainy weather.

It was an opinion born from childhood, where sunny skies meant gallivanting around the play island, searching for new places to expand the treehouse. It meant climbing palm trees for coconuts to crack open, looking for seashells in the soft sand, and splashing through the shallows trying to catch fish.

Cloudy skies more often than not meant the promise of rain, of thunderstorms spent cowering under his covers, though he never told anybody that. They meant staying indoors, under the watchful eye of his parents lest he try and sneak out to play for the fifth time in a row. The last time it happened he was six, he’d lost both his boots to a particularly sticky patch of mud, and ended up walking home barefoot in the cold rain. He’d been bedridden for a week, coughing so violently his mother barely slept.

A decade later he certainly had more freedom, able to come and go as he pleased so long as he acquiesced to his mother’s insistence that he bring a raincoat and an umbrella despite his protests that he was taking his car and wouldn’t need them. He didn’t care if he got caught in the rain; right now, he just wanted to get out of the house. He had spent the better part of the morning staring at your window waiting for you to draw the curtains, and then the first part of the afternoon feeling sick to his stomach as he wondered what you and Axel were up to. His brain was going to drive him crazy if he kept up that particular train of thought, especially considering the graphic images it chose to torture him with.

He just needed some fresh air. At least, that was the excuse he was going to give if anybody asked him. Looking around the empty parking lot, Riku ruefully admitted that it probably wouldn’t be necessary.

“’Sup, bitchface.”

Riku looked up at the sky and asked whoever was listening to give him strength.

“Hey! Yo! You hear me? I’m over here, dickwad.”

“Fuck off, Seifer.”

“Chill. Why’re you so pissy?” Seifer took another swig from his brown paper bag.

Riku grimaced. “How are you drinking after you projectile vomited on five people?”

“Go fuck yourself.”

“Sure.”

“Wait wait wait wait wait.” Riku sighed but stopped all the same, straight-faced. “There’s only one fucking reason a guy like you’d be PMSing. It’s your girl isn’t it? No disrespect man, but she’s pretty—” he let out a low whistle.

When Riku didn’t deny it and didn’t walk away, Seifer fist pumped and leered. “Yeah, buddy; that’s what I thought. Girls are fucking nuts. Just agree with whatever she says so you can lay some pipe. Here man, take the edge off.” The bag crinkled when he held it out. Riku was about five seconds away from grabbing the bottle and throwing it clear across the lot, and he felt betrayed by his own body when it grabbed the proffered drink, and sat on the curb beside his childhood nemesis. The first drink burned the most, but he choked it down and blinked away his watering eyes. The second one was easier. By the time they were on number eight, it took him a moment to register the shadow falling across his face.

There, somehow still glowing despite the overcast sky, were the Strife twins in all their unimpressed glory.

“Are you following me?”

Roxas rolled his eyes. “Yes, Riku. I drove to Traverse Mart because I was hoping I’d see you drinking out of a brown paper bag by the dumpster with garbo company. You got me.”

Seifer rose unsteadily to his feet, tugging his beanie low. “Who’re you calling trash, trash?”

Roxas pointed his car keys at Seifer. “Try something and I’ll fuck you up.”

Sora held out a hand, and for a few vicious seconds Riku debated slapping it away. The urge vanished and he let Sora pull him up, the warm, familiar grip grounding him ever so slightly. “You okay, Ri?”

“I’m fine.”

Sora gave him a nervous look, and Riku knew exactly what it meant. Roxas and Seifer’s bickering faded away in the background as he turned his wavering focus onto his best friend.

“You’re doing that thing again where you want to say something, but don’t. Just say it.”

“It’s not important.”

Riku snorted. Sora’s emotions were never far from the surface, no matter how hard he tried to hide them. Riku fixed him with a look, a stony stare that had convinced Sora to do a great many things, like not running away at the age of five, or tearfully letting the frog, mouse, snake, and spider he wanted to bring home go. Sora’s cheeks puffed out, he fiddled with the crown charm attached to his phone, and then he blurted out, “We just never talk anymore. Like I know you’ve got blitzball and I’ve got—“

“Everything?”

“Well, sure, but you’re gone this summer and then you’re off to uni and then it’s...yeah.” Sora was quiet, flipping his phone around and around in his hand. “I know we’re going to ‘naturally drift apart’,” Riku grinned at the exaggerated air quotes, “but it doesn’t mean it’s easy to take.”  
“Sora, you’re my best friend. We’ll be fine,” Riku said with an amused smile, but it did little to stop the sinking feeling in his stomach. “I spent most of last summer on my uncle’s fishing boat and that didn’t change anything.”

“This time feels different,” Sora said softly. For all he’d sacrifice to support his friends and encourage their happiness, it was clear to Riku that the thought had been weighing heavy on Sora’s mind for a while. He looked defeated, tired, and well past 17 years old. He spent so much time championing the underdog and giving his all to his friends, it was difficult to imagine he had the time to afford the same courtesy to himself. 

“C’mon, Sor. I’ll be 45 minutes away. Max.”

“You’re definitely going to HBU? You’re not even considering anywhere else?” Roxas, having successfully chased Seifer off, twirled the keys around his finger as he scrutinized his brother’s best friend. As much as he cared for Sora (because he would never say he cared about Riku, for fuck’s sake), he couldn’t help but silently judge what he thought was the stupidest decision made for the stupidest reasons.

Riku scowled. “Probably. You got a problem with that?”

The uneasy energy between the two had Sora instinctively moving to step between them, bracing his body to stop an unstoppable force from colliding with an immovable object. Perhaps it was seeing his twin’s weary face, but Roxas conceded and backed down, taking a step back for good measure.

“Nah, I’ve got a problem with you spending time in shit company,” he retorted, easily switching gears.

“I didn’t think you guys would be down to day-drink.”

“Riku,” Roxas said with all the patience in the world, “it’s 4pm on a Thursday. What else would we want to do?”

Roxas drove Riku’s car home as he rode with Sora, to his grudging consent, solely because the alternative was listening to Roxas’s non-stop snark for the fifteen-minute drive. Somehow in the ten minutes between being texted the game-plan and being picked up, Tidus had gathered a rather hefty haul of booze. Roxas watched open-mouthed as six pack after six pack disappeared into the trunk, Tidus nonchalantly mentioning something about Jecht hosting his old blitzball buddies and nobody noticing if a couple cans were gone.

Lady Luck was on their side, the downpour holding off until everything was safely unloaded into Riku’s garage, the boys quietly drinking their beers as they watched the rain.

Riku tapped his foot softly on the ground, his chair creaking beneath him. “We got into a fight.”

“No, we almost got into a fight, and I would’ve kicked your punk-ass if we had,” Roxas mumbled, sinking into his lawn chair.

“Not you, asshat. Me and (Name),” Riku said, disgruntled.

Sora grabbed another beer, cracking it open. He hissed when it foamed, wiping his hand on his shorts. “You wanna talk about it?”

“No.”

“You might feel better—”

“No.” The three boys exchanged a look, and Riku rolled his eyes. “I can see you fuckers.”

Tidus solemnly reaching into his bag, and held out his notebook and pencil. “You know what to do.”

Riku smacked it to the ground, ignoring the indignant yelp. “Are you fucked? How is writing about my shitty feelings going to make things better? I’m not a desperate attention-seeking asshole like you. I don’t broadcast my shit. I deal with it.”

“Jesus Riku, tell us how you really feel.” Tidus sniffed haughtily, shaking out his stinging hand in an attempt to break the sudden silence that descended on the garage. The rain fell steadily outside, the pitter pattering doing little to ease the stuffiness surrounding the four boys. Just for the sake of doing something, Tidus began trying to toe his notebook into arm’s reach. Not paying as much attention as he should have, he spilled a little beer down his front, and he wiped uselessly at his shirt as he groaned, “Fucking great.”

Roxas abruptly sat up, pointing damningly at the shifting edge of Tidus’s shirt collar as he hissed, “Is that a fucking hickey?”

Tidus blanched. He put up a valiant struggle for thirty seconds before he was overpowered, sitting in a puddle of his own beer as Roxas revealed the hickey for the other two boys to see.

“What?! Who?!” Sora asked. He was baffled that Tidus – TIDUS of all people – had managed to keep something like this a secret.

Tidus smiled sheepishly and Roxas’s face contorted into disgust and disappointment. “Aw, man— no way. That’s sick. You let Selphie touch you again?”

Riku chuckled, low and quiet, his shoulders shaking as it slowly escalated into full out peals of laughter. He was almost sliding out of his chair, feet scrabbling for purchase as he howled.

“I’m a growing teenage boy and I have fucking needs, thank you. Sorry I’m not a pining, lovestruck idiot or an emotionless robot,” Tidus sulked, eyeballing Sora and Roxas respectively.

“He’s got a point,” Riku wheezed, smiling wide at the reproachful expression on Sora’s face.

“I’d rather being a lovestruck idiot than desperate,” Sora shot back.

“And I’d rather be an emotionless robot than emotionally stunted,” Roxas added, glaring at Riku.

Riku sneered. “Don’t drag me into this because you’re mad he’s telling the truth.”

Roxas kicked at Riku’s foot. “Don’t act like whatever happened with you and (Name) doesn’t have you all bent out of shape. If you don’t want to talk about it, fine. But don’t shit on us because we’re trying to help you.”

Riku flinched and averted his eyes, finishing the rest of his drink for the sake of having something to do. “…sorry.”

His voice was muffled behind the can, but Roxas looked appeased nonetheless. He yanked the notebook out of Tidus’s reluctant hands, and threw it flapping across the garage at Riku’s face.

“Just let it out. We’re not going to rag on you or use it to get fans,” he cut a sharp look at Tidus, who held up his hands and muttered something vaguely affirmative in response, “but you can’t keep this shit inside. You’re pretty okay with words, so just say what you want.”

“But,” Tidus scooted his chair closer and rifled through the notebook as Riku debated punching him in the head, “use this song. I don’t have anything for it.” Finally registering the different levels of disbelief aimed his way, he glared defensively. “I have to sing the shit he doesn’t use. I’m allowed to pick and choose what I want.”

Roxas sighed. “Whatever, man.”

The silence that followed wasn’t as stifling as Riku thought it would be. Everyone seemed content to drift about in their own thoughts, the sound of the pencil scratching away familiar and calming. This Riku could do. Putting down song lyrics was a hobby he didn’t indulge in often, but it was easy enough to pick up again, and a simpler task than trying to argue with you.

When he finished, Roxas checked the time and his eyebrows raised. “Just under 30 minutes. Nice. Must have been some fight.”

Tidus grabbed the notebook and scanned the words, and then looked up at Riku with the most plaintive expression he’d ever seen on his face. “This is gold. Can we please play it?”

“No.”

“Just once.”

“No.”

“I’ll do a favour for you. Something. Anything.”

Riku’s interest piqued. Tidus blanched and he considered for a hot second that maybe he’d spoken a little too soon, but then the older boy said, “Fine” and all his misgivings disappeared. Foolish, considering he pretty much made a deal with the devil.

“Whaddaya want.”

“No, I’m not using it now. I’m saving it for later,” Riku said with a smile that had a few too many teeth showing. Tidus quashed his fears and smiled back just as brazenly.

“If we’re doing this, we’re doing it right,” Sora piped up, a cheeky grin on his face as he held out a new beer to each boy. “We’re shot-gunning first.”

“Sora, the last time you shot-gunned before rehearsal you forgot which way your guitar went.”

“Shut up and drink.”

A few missed punctures, some spilling, and a lot of swearing and burping later, they were well into practice. Sora might have missed his cue a few times and Roxas was maybe a little less co-ordinated than usual, but they were back to joking around with the same levity and wit as when you’d first moved in next door.

Tidus squirmed around in his chair, his legs dangling over one armrest as the other dug uncomfortably into his back. “Okay. I think we’re ready for a play-through.” He shifted about uselessly, and then conceded defeat, resigning himself to a life of discomfort. “One two three four.”

“I’m not ready,” Roxas called, a fistful of fries in one hand and his drumsticks in the other.

“Hurry up and figure your life out,” Sora drawled as he scooted closer to the edge of his chair, one eye closed as he tried to focus on his fingers.

Riku blew his bangs out of his eyes, wondering for the 100th time why he didn’t just cut his hair short. “Just start playing. He’ll catch up.”

Roxas glared. “That’s not how it works—”

“One two three four.” Tidus counted in, deciding for everyone involved that this time, at least, it was how it was going to work. Roxas swore and shovelled his food into his mouth, as Tidus and Sora began to play. Giving his twin the evil eye, the drummer wiped a greasy hand on his pants, flipped a stick, and smoothly joined in. 

Riku was fine up until Tidus started singing, and then the awful pressure in his gut returned as he thought back to last night. 

“ _Well, now then, mardy bum…I've seen your frown and it's like looking down the barrel of a gun, and it goes off. And out come all these words; oh, there's a very pleasant side to you, a side I much prefer…_ ”

Okay fine, Riku had to admit that he felt a little better. It was nice being about to put his feelings down without the pressure of needing to respond in the moment. It was nice being able to reflect on why he felt how he felt, and how he would organize his thoughts next time he spoke to you. Granted he wasn’t entirely sure he was going to remember any of it say, an hour from now, but it settled his nerves nonetheless.

“ _It's one that laughs and jokes around! Remember cuddles in the kitchen, yeah to get things off the ground and it was…up, up, and away! Ah, but it's right hard to remember that on a day like today when you're all argumentative and you've got the face on!_ ”

Looking around at his friends, Riku felt like the butt end of a joke. He was supposed to be the mature one, damn it…after all, he was the oldest out of all of them. Why had he been such a baby earlier? He shook his head, shrinking in on himself. He’d been a total douchebag, and even if he wanted to blame Seifer and the mystery bottle whose contents were still burning in his stomach, he couldn’t. Not without that irritating prickle that told him was too old to push his feelings into someone else’s hands. It was more of a struggle to admit than he wanted it to be, and he felt ashamed that even silently, to himself, it was a very bitter pill to swallow. 

“ _Well, now then mardy bum…oh, I'm in trouble again, aren't I? I thought as much. 'Cause you turned over there pulling that silent disappointment face: the one that I can't bear…_ ”

Why did he do these things? Why did he push and pull at the people around him? He looked at Sora, at the silly way his tongue was poking out the corner of his mouth as he stared nearly cross-eyed at his hands. Past the carefree, easy aura that he naturally produced, he looked tired. He had faint shadows under his eyes, and his nails were bitten down to the quick, a nervous habit of his he refused to admit to. Riku vaguely remembered there being a six-hour difference between Departure and Destiny Islands, but here Sora was, fighting his exhaustion for the sake of being there for his best friend. 

“ _Well, can't we just laugh and joke around? Remember cuddles in the kitchen yeah, to get things off the ground and it was…up, up, and away! Ah, but it's right hard to remember that on a day like today when you're all argumentative and you've got the face on._ ”

There were too many things crowding his mind. Riku’s eyes closed, his fingers fumbling across his bass with the half-assed confidence of someone who was used to blustering in the face of the unknown. He felt guilty thinking it, but right now all he wanted to do was see you and hash things out. He pushed Sora’s fears to the side; he would worry about those later. Sora would understand. He always did. 

“ _And yeah, I'm sorry I was late, but I missed the train and then the traffic was a state. And I can't be arsed to carry on in this debate that reoccurs, oh, when you say I don't care…but, of course I do, yeah, I clearly do!_ ”

Roxas swore when he fumbled with a drumstick and it tumbled to the ground, and Riku snickered, glad for the distraction from his mental monologue. Sora was gently shaking his head from side to side as he played, stealing a quick sip from his beer when all the instrumental interlude was finished.

Tidus finally shimmied into a somewhat more satisfactory position in his chair, half his body angling off the seat as the other stayed put by virtue of gravity and some sort of fluke. “ _So, laugh and joke around! Remember cuddles in the kitchen, yeah to get things off the ground and it was…_ ” He yawned loudly, his eyes drooping. “ _Up, up, and away! Oh, but it's right hard to remember that on a day like today when you're all…_ ”

Tidus paused for dramatic effect a little too long, and Sora kicked at his chair leg. 

“ _…argumentative, and you’ve got the face on!_ ”

“Hi.”

“Oh _shit_.” Tidus started and promptly fell out of his chair.

You looked amused as you watched him wrestle with his limbs. “I missed you guys.”

Sora stood so abruptly he knocked his chair backwards, enveloping you in the boniest bear hug you’d ever received. “Missed you too.” He rocked you back and forth, practically dragging you from side to side as he did so.

Roxas tossed his sticks to the side, tapping an impatient finger on a cymbal as he watched. “Give the rest of us a chance, Sora.” Sora gave him the equivalent of a pout mixed with a snarl. Roxas harrumphed and stalked over, defiantly wrapping his arms around the two of you, deliberately jostling Sora a little more than he needed to.

“Get in here, Tidus. Before Riku monopolizes all her free time,” Roxas quipped. Tidus balked for all of three seconds and then bounded over. If he had a tail, it’d be wagging fiercely. He squirmed his way into the middle of the group hug, elbowing Sora in the gut by accident.

By the time you separated and Sora had ‘accidentally’ retaliated by stomping on Tidus’s foot twice, Riku had to hide his clenched fists in his pockets. He wanted to appear aloof and unperturbed, but his palms were a little sweatier than he liked and he was wracking his brain for the best way to approach you and deliver an air of total nonchalance.

In lieu of that he was practically bowled over when you sheepishly smiled at him, your expression unsure. Oh. He had predicted you’d still be up in arms, not subdued. He’d been ready to bluster for a bit and then lay down on the line and take on all the blame, but your reticence made him reconsider. Had he hit a nerve earlier because he’d made a valid point? His ego revived, and his prejudices reasserted themselves. Maybe something had happened with Axel; he tried to quell his burgeoning joy at that thought. 

“Hi.” You repeated yourself, softer this time. “Can we talk?”

Without a sound, Riku strode forward and grabbed your hand, his fingers clutching yours as he led the way to your front door.

“We’ll just stay here then!” Tidus shouted after you, his hands on his hips.

Neither of you uttered a word as you missioned up to your room, your house still eerily quiet without your family bustling about. Once the door clicked shut Riku grabbed you by the arms and pulled you onto your bed, intertwining his limbs with yours as he buried his face in your hair, feeling deeply satisfied by the weight of your body on his chest. You squeaked as you tumbled down, you heart jumping to your throat, but as your pulse slowed your body relaxed and contoured to his. 

“I’m sorry about before.” Riku closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side; your gaze followed him, admiring the way his long lashes fluttered on his cheeks. “I still think he’s a dick though. I’m not saying sorry for that.”

You felt half-pleased by his half-apology and in your books, it was good enough for now. The scent of beer was wafting from him, and you were already mentally exhausted from earlier. Surely revisiting your spat could wait until later or, if you were lucky, it would never come up again. Perhaps it was a foolish thought, but you didn’t want to force the issue if it was going to solve itself. 

Nodding decisively, you carefully filed your mental notes for later and nestled into the crook of his neck. “Okay, Ri.” As his breathing evened out you curled up against him a little more as you began to drift off. Things would work out, one way or another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> KH1 Riku in a KH2 Riku body is dangerous, Kairi being emotionally selfish even more so.
> 
> See y'all soon.


	16. El Scorcho

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Song here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okthJIVbi6g)
> 
> If you're not interested in reading nearly 3000 words of gratuitous smut, maybe skip the entire first part of this chapter until the ~*~.
> 
> If you're interested in reading some silly cuddling but not interested in smut, stop after: "His pupils dilated and he cleared his throat. “Yeah.”"

His arm was asleep.

His arm was asleep and his mouth was dry and he had to pee and these were the worst three sensations to wake up to.

Riku squinted against the warm light, blearily taking in that no, it wasn’t his ceiling, and yes, it was your head that was cutting off circulation to his arm. He mulled for a good minute on how to sneak out of bed without waking you, but his body made the decision for him and he was forced to jostle you awake on his way to the bathroom.

“What time is it?” you grumbled at his back, grimacing as you sat up. 1:36am. This was what you got for falling asleep at 8. You meandered down the hall to your parents’ bathroom and relieved yourself, taking the time to wash your face and brush your teeth as well. 

Squeaky clean, still a little bleary eyed, and a little giddy that you finally got to have Riku spend the night (even if it was accidentally) had you eagerly turning off the light and hopping into bed beside him once more. You yawned and rolled onto your side, wondering if it would be too much to scoot back and press yourself against him. 

Then you heard him mumble, “come here” and he flung an arm over your waist, dragging you across the bed and into his arms. The sleepy, silly smile in your face stayed on the whole night. 

You woke first the second time around, your body slightly sweaty. This goddamn boy was like a furnace with how hot he ran (in more ways than one). You languidly stretched, catlike, shimmying out of his hold for another bathroom visit. When you came back, you carefully lay beside him, content to just watch the way his chest gently rose and fell as he slept. His mouth was partially open, his steady, slow breaths occasionally ruffling his hair. His nose scrunched irritably when a strand tickled it, and you pushed it away, your fingers featherlight. 

He rolled onto his back and you shimmied out of bed, tiptoeing downstairs. Despite your attempts to be as quiet as possible, the clatter of you bustling about making breakfast still woke him, and he was rubbing his eyes as you toed the door back open. 

“Hey.” His voice was raspy, his hair was a mess, but he’d apparently decided to abandon his shirt in his sleep and you definitely weren’t focussing on anything above the neck. You collected yourself and presented the simple plate to him as he slowly sat up and revealed more of his shirtless chest to you. “You’re so domestic,” he teased, but dug in anyway. You quietly ate as you watched him, your foot jiggling as you forced yourself not to choke on your food even as you were shovelling it into your mouth.

“Thanks.” He kissed your forehead, and when you tilted your face up for more he grimaced, quickly turning away. “Sorry…morning breath. Just give me like, two seconds.” He yawned and got out of bed, stretching his arms above his head as you fought to keep from drooling down your front. Snapping out of your daze, you speedily raced to the other bathroom and quickly brushed your teeth, combing some damp fingers through your hair to flatten down any cowlicks. You hesitated as you turned to leave, and then quickly swiped some deodorant on, a spritz of perfume, and the barest touch of make-up just in case. You should feel vaguely resentful that he could look that good with bedhead, but you really weren’t complaining. 

When you returned, he was lying back down idly scrolling through his phone. Part of you was impressed he’d managed to spend the whole night sleeping in a pair of jeans, but the rest of you was preoccupied with snuggling against his chest, tracing your fingers across his pecs. 

“Tidus is pissed,” he said with a snort, clumsily texting back with one hand. You hummed, distracted, as you flattened your hand out and spread it across his stomach, just feeling the slow rise and fall of his chest. Your hips shifted a little closer to his. You caressed his side, feeling the slight divots of his ribs and giggling when he squirmed a little as you hit a particularly ticklish spot. Changing direction your fingers tapped along his abs, poked his bellybutton, and then you took a deep breath as they landed an inch above his boxers.

He stopped texting and set his phone down, tugging on a piece of your hair. “What’re you up to?” You reluctantly looked up, tearing your eyes away from the sinful dip of his hips and the heat in his eyes made your heart stutter. He was going to kill you if he kept this up. You wet your lips and propped yourself up on your elbow.

“Can I kiss you?” The question was barely above a whisper; you didn’t even know why you asked it. Something in the air felt different. Electric. The silence in your house was almost overwhelmingly loud, the sound of your heartbeat pounding in your ears. Surely, he’d also noticed that the two of you were finally alone? No interruptions, no distractions, no need to muffle your voice in a pillow.

His pupils dilated and he cleared his throat. “Yeah.” 

You pushed yourself up, looked searchingly in his eyes for the longest two seconds of your life, and then dipped down. It was soft and short, much like your first kiss, just the promise of heat hovering behind the careful slide of your lips against his. You lingered when you pulled away, your entire body tingling at the strength of the intensity in his eyes. They burned bright; the ocean aflame as you pressed a hand to his chest. You sat back on your knees and he immediately surged up after you, a quick hand on the back of your head as he crushed his mouth against yours. You groaned into his mouth, all decorum gone as your hands flew to his shoulders, your whole body warming at the muscle underneath your palms. 

One of his hands grabbed at your knee, jerking it clumsily over his legs so you were straddling him as the other pressed your hips down so your core was rocking against the growing bulge in his pants. Riku’s head lowered and he nipped at your neck, tearing a breathy “ah” from your lips. His hands were squeezing your upper thighs, sliding to your ass to give it the same treatment as he bucked his hips up into yours. 

“Riku,” you panted, sloppily kissing him again. He rewarded you with a firm grind of his hips, growling.

“Take your clothes off,” he commanded, his voice wrecked. He’d slowly undressed you so many times he’d memorized every inch of skin. His fingers burned with the memory of trailing across your ribs, sliding over your hips, and barely tugging your underwear down before you were interrupted time and time again. Right now, he just needed to feel you pressed against him, no clothing in the way; his mind was zeroed in on stumbling out of his pants and toeing off his socks. When he looked up his breath caught in his throat as he hungrily eyed you standing bare before him. His eyes lingered on your chest, trailing down to the apex of your thighs as you fidgeted, and then crawled back up to fix on your mouth.

“Fuck,” he breathed. Your eyes in turn were fixed on the front of his boxer briefs, his cock straining against them. Without looking away he clumsily sat down on your bed, pressed his back to the wall and beckoned you closer. “Come here.” 

You didn’t need him to tell you twice. You resumed straddling him, the lack of clothing infinitely better as you felt him thrust against you, your pussy soaking through his underwear. One of his arms pressed your lower body closer even as his head lowered and latched onto a nipple, his tongue snaking around it as he licked and sucked. The warmth of his mouth and the hand on your ass were making you dizzy, everything pinpointing to the aching between your legs as you rocked in time with him.

“Riku, come on,” you whispered, your hand tugging on the front of his briefs. You were just as hungry to see him completely bare, to feel the sinful slide of his dick against you without anything in the way, and he was taking too long. Without a word he flipped you onto your back, caging you from above. You whined as he kissed you again, your fingers teasingly tracing the edges of his sex as he fought to keep from arching into your touch. “Please.” You tugged futilely at the waistband of his underwear. 

He grinned wickedly at you, scattering light bites and kisses along your collarbone. “You first,” he said, his voice rumbling in his chest as he snuck a hand down and swiped one lone, long finger up your slit. Your body immediately bowed, your flushed chest drawing his attention again as his other hand palmed one of your breasts. 

“Oh _god_.” 

He moaned and did it again, his eyes flicking back and forth between the nipple he was tweaking and your quivering thighs. 

“Holy fuck, you’re so fucking wet,” he breathed. He swirled a finger around your entrance and had to bite his lips to keep from groaning when your hips started to jerk in stuttering motions, silently pleading for him to go deeper. He slowly sunk his finger in and you cried out, the sound making his cock twitch as he watched your body pull him in. He palmed the front of his underwear, jerkily stroking to try and relieve some of the tension. He had to force himself to stop, the sheer relief tearing through him building faster than he wanted. 

“Stop being a fucking tease,” you all but snarled, trying to shimmy your body down further down the bed; you needed more of him. Riku grabbed at your hip, and you were torn between being frustrated and impossibly aroused at the flex of his arms as he held you still. 

“Easy.” His voice was low and rough. Idly pumping his finger in and out of you a few seconds more, he added another and you writhed. “Goddamn you’re taking it so well,” he groaned as he curled his fingers inside you. His other hand left your hip to hover over his cock again, and you licked your lips as you watched him. 

“For fuck’s sake. Please.” He stopped what he was doing, looking at you with flushed cheeks as his thumb brushed feather light across your clit. You had to grit your teeth to keep from whimpering, force your body to still. “I want to…let me make you feel good too.” He slowly withdrew his hand and you would’ve whined if the promise of seeing him fully nude hadn’t been hanging in the air. Then he licked his fingers clean and you did whine, your hands clutching at the sheets.

“Not yet.” He brushed a kiss across your stomach and your body visibly jerked. “You look so fucking good right, you know that?” His mouth trailed lower and bit at your hip. “And you taste—” 

A lower kiss.

“—even—”

His mouth brushed your inner thigh.

“—better.”

His tongue licked a long, slow stripe up your slit and you keened, your head falling back as you shook. “ _Riku_. Do that again.” You didn’t know who this needy mess was, but you didn’t care. 

“ _Fuck_.” Riku tongued at your pussy, his hands pushing your thighs apart and you nearly mewled again at the feeling of being so exposed to him. His face was buried in your sex, his mouth sloppily kissing and licking like he was a dying man and this was his last meal. His lips sealed around your clit and he sucked and you practically saw stars, his name a lengthy and breathy moan that had him grinding futilely into your bed to relive some pressure. 

When his fingers slid back home you nearly screamed, your eyes squeezed shut as your voice caught in your throat. He rocked his hand against you, his mouth still licking and sucking as the obscene sounds of his ministrations filled the room.

“Ri, _ah_ , I’m so close I’m going to—” He hummed and the sound vibrated through your body. You hand flew to your mouth and your back arched clean off the bed as you came, your entire body buzzing as you shook and rocked though it. He sat up and you watched through hazy eyes as he wiped at his face, your own burning when you realized just how wet you were. 

You shakily sat up, your legs still jelly and tugged him down for a kiss, his tongue tangling with yours. He languidly pulled your bottom lip into your mouth and bit it, the shock rekindling your need. You broke the kiss and looked down, your hand drawn to the stroke along the bulge in his underwear. He hissed and unconsciously squeezed your hips hard. You slowly peeled his underwear down, your mouth going dry at the sight of his cock, hard and flushed. 

You didn’t even bother getting him to take his underwear off, just immediately wrapped your hand around his length as his groan caught in the back of his throat, his eyes fluttering at the sensation. Your hand loosely stroked him, thumb swiping across the tip as he alternated between squeezing at your hips and tracing light circles on your thighs. His hand crept to your sex and sent a jolt of pleasure through your body when he flicked at your clit, his fingers shallowly dipping back into your entrance as he brought you in for another desperate kiss. 

“Mm but I want to make you feel good,” you protested weakly, voice muffled by his mouth.

“Later.” He moved your hand and gently pushed you down onto the bed, a firm hand around the base of his cock as it hovered tantalizingly over you. “I want…” he inhaled sharply, the tip just brushing against your clit. “I want to be inside you.” 

You felt yourself get wetter and you tried to angle your hips up, your slick folds just brushing against his solid length. Riku growled and pressed his cock against you, slotting between your legs and grinding into you. He was thrusting up against you, desperate pleas falling from your lips, his name choked when the head nudged at your entrance stoking the fire in your belly higher. 

“Please, Riku,” you whined, your mind focussed only on how badly you needed him inside you. When you looked down your pussy flooded even more, the sight of him so close to where you wanted making you dizzy. 

“Shit just, _wait_ ,” Riku bit out, even as his hips betrayed him and pushed ever so slightly forward. He fumbled with his pants, trying to find the condom he hadn’t been able to put to good use. Impatient, you wriggled up and went for the kill. “ _Oh_.” 

His pants fell from his fingers, his mouth dropping open as you continued to lave your tongue along his cock, one hand guiding it into your mouth. His hands were shaking as he tried to open the condom wrapper, his entire body much more interested in the waves of pleasure that were steadily emanating from the tight seal your mouth had around his shaft, a hand cupping his balls and squeezing and making it harder and harder for him not to just fuck up into your mouth until he came. He reluctantly pushed you away and rolled the condom on, trying to regain some semblance of control over the situation, but you snatched the reins up and before he could even blink, he was flat on his back and you were lining him up to your entrance.

“ _Shit_.” He groped blindly at your ass as you slowly sank down, riding him in short thrusts that had more of him sinking into your tight heat with each roll of your hips. Your nails were digging into his chest as he stretched you out, the feeling long missed and just as glorious as you thought it would be. The slow push of his impossibly thick and long cock into you had you gasping, and when he was fully sheathed your pussy spasmed around him.

“Oh my god,” you mewled, lifting all the way off and then sinking fully back down. Riku was past the point of coherence, a litany of swear words and your name tumbling from his mouth. His eyes were barely open, his fingers were clutching at you so hard you were sure he’d leave bruises, and then his hips surged up as you sank down and you cried out as you swore you saw stars. 

You started riding him, grinding against his hips and feeling him hit every single inch inside of you as he gritted his teeth. “Wait, slow down— oh fuck.” His body was tense, his voice spurring you on as he moaned. Everything felt too good, and you couldn’t stop looking at him, the way he was panting, the pink creeping from his face down his neck to his chest, and you keened as you upped the pace, driven by how unbelievably good he felt beneath and inside you. 

“Wait wait wait stop,” he gasped and you were brought to a pause, his hand unyielding as he held you down. Wasting no time, you leaned down and began kissing along his jaw as he caught his breath, impatiently wiggling your hips. He stilled you, fighting to catch his breath. “I just came.”

You froze and shot up to look at him. “Really?” He nodded, pushing the hair out of his face. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“I was—I don’t know I just got…scared or something.” He looked nervously at you, at your dropped jaw and then wilted as you started laughing, slipping off sideways as you clutched your sides. 

“You got _scared_?”

“I’m sorry, just please stop laughing.”

“Oh my god.” You smiled at him, the expression so endearing for a minute he forgot his humiliation until you started giggling again in spurts as you tried to keep it in. 

“It just happened.” You were too busy howling so he sighed and pulled the condom off, throwing it out. It definitely wasn’t his finest moment, but he blamed the weeks of blue balls that had led up to this moment. He sloppily put his hair up, and wrapped you in his arms as you shook with laughter. He kissed your head, quick smooches until you finally stopped your cackling so he could kiss you properly. His thumbs traced underneath your breasts and you hummed, your previous arousal returning with a slow simmer. He drew it out, almost lazily enticed your tongue into dancing with his, his hands running teasingly along your body. You turned to face him and hooked a leg around his bare thigh, his hand sliding under your knee. You felt a throb between your legs and you sighed into his hair as he nibbled and sucked at your ear. Unconsciously you tugged on his hair and with a muffled “mmph” he jerked, valiantly returning erection brushing against your thigh. 

Without uttering a word, Riku rolled you onto your back, a firm hand flat on your stomach to hold you down as he rummaged through your mess of clothes for another condom. Your breathing quickened as he settled between your legs, his eyes narrowed as he watched your face, gaze unfaltering to take in your breath hitching and the tiny ‘o’ your mouth made as he slid back in. He carefully lowered himself on top of you, your arms wrapping around his neck as he propped himself up on his elbows and began to move. Each slow, solid thrust had you whimpering, your slick walls clenching around him and making his breath stutter. 

As far as he was concerned, you weren’t being nearly loud enough so he gave one fast snap of his hips that left you scrabbling at his back, and he smirked. “You like that, huh?”

“Yes,” you moaned, threading your fingers into his hair. He slowly drew out and then did it again, grunting as you keened loudly, tugging his hair. 

“Fuck, make that noise again,” he panted, thrusting faster into you. You obliged, his name a prayer that you kept uttering over and over again, your voice getting louder with each sharp move of his hips. 

“You feel so fucking good,” he muttered into your ear and you cried out, your hands falling back down to his shoulders and he groaned at the sharp bite of your nails in his skin. “You’re such a good girl taking me so well, huh?” 

He looked down where the two of you were joined, and he hissed as he watched how easily he was pumping in and out, the lewd sounds spurring him on as he sped up. With every undulation breathy little “ah ah ah!”s were flying from your mouth, the electric jolts of pleasure flying through your body as you clung desperately to him, at mercy to the feel of his cock angling up at hit a spot that had you nearly screaming his name. 

“ _ **FUCK**_.” He buried his head into your neck and bit and sucked hard, hitting your g-spot over and over again as you cried out, scratching long lines down his back. His breath puffed against your ear when he turned his head, his voice strained as he commanded, “Touch yourself.”

You didn’t need any urging, your hand slipping between your bodies and drawing magnetic to your clit as you rubbed and rolled it with your fingers, your voice high as you almost sobbed, “It’s too much.”

“Keep going.” His breath was harsh against your ear, his words tight. “I wanna feel you cum around me.” 

“Mm, fuck, _Riku_ …!” Your body seized and your mouth fell open, your voice cracking as you moaned long and loud, walls clenching around him as you came, a wave of warmth running through your body. He placed a trembling kiss to your jaw as he thrust shallowly, helping you ride it out. The aftershocks had your toes curling, had you squeezing involuntarily around his cock and he clenched his teeth.

“Fuck, you’re such a good girl I’m getting close, oh fuck I’m getting close I’m gonna cum—” His eyes slammed shut as his cock throbbed, the fluttering heat around it sending him over the edge and ripping the lowest, neediest moan from his throat as he jolted and shook. 

You lay there, petting an unsteady hand across his head as you slowly came down, sticky and sweaty and deeply satisfied. When he pulled out you nearly protested, sullenly curling up to him when he collapsed beside you.

“Why do you look so grumpy,” he asked, slightly out of breath with a dazed smile on his face. You blushed, and he kissed your forehead. “Come on, what’s up. Was it that bad?”

“No! I um,” you blushed and your voice dropped, “I just liked…having you…inside me.” You hid your face in his shoulder, embarrassed, as he laughed.

“Well,” he nudged your chin until you looked at him, and then brushed his lips against yours, coaxing you back with a sweet kiss, “good thing we have all day.” 

Your body thrummed with the promise, and you eagerly kissed him back. He pecked you once, twice, his smile softer and his eyes twinkling as he said, “Wanna take a shower together?”

~*~

One of the benefits of spring break in Destiny Islands was that the city was so small your parents were convinced you couldn’t get up to any trouble. They’d very happily dragged Mira with them to go visit your grandparents, and with Hiro staying at Vivi’s you’d had the house to yourself. Another benefit was living next door to your boyfriend and the two of you taking full advantage of being alone, with him spending practically every single night at yours and running through an informal list of the many surfaces you could sully.

You were jolted awake by the faint buzz of your phone, muffled by the pillow. You flinched and grimaced when you felt the wet patch on the case. Guess Axel was right about the drooling? And speak of the devil...you carefully rolled to the far edge of the bed and answered. “Hello?” 

“Hey, come down. I’m outside.”

“Axel it’s...2 in the fucking morning.”

“Just come. I want to talk to you.”

Despite your body reminding you that you desperately needed sleep, you still found yourself sneaking out of bed, careful to not wake Riku. He muttered something in his sleep that sounded vaguely like “idiot Tidus” and kept gently snoring. It was mildly chilly outside, Destiny Islands finally in the throes of its mild, island winter. You huffed, resisting the urge to dramatically slam the door shut when you got into the car. “What’s so important you couldn’t just text me about it later?” 

“Just wanted to hang out.” 

“Bye, Axel.” 

“Wait hang on. Seriously. Just chill with me for a bit? I don’t feel like sleeping.” You sighed and settled back into your seat as he gracelessly grabbed at a blanket in his back seat.. 

You grabbed it out of his hands, pursing your lips as he smiled at you. “Why’re you even here? I thought you were in Hollow Bastion.”

He gestured at your seatbelt, but you stubbornly crossed your arms in defiance, silently demanding an explanation. “I had plans.”

“Like plans or ‘plans’.” The smile on his face turned into more of a smirk, and you finally noticed the edge of the teeny tiny love bite at the corner of his jaw. “Ew don’t touch me,” you grumbled, finally putting the seatbelt on. “Why didn’t you call Roxas?”

“He’s burnt out from earlier.”

“...oh. OH. Wait you didn’t…?”

“No, you sicko. We sesh’d before—"

“Before you boned.”

His nose scrunched imperceptibly as he turned the corner. “Who the fuck says ‘boned’?”

You paused thoughtfully. “Me. And Tidus. Sora too probably.”

Axel shook his head and muttered, “Fucking teenagers.”

“You’re like a year older than me.”

He made another turn down a back road you’d never been down before, the streetlights leaving you behind. “Two, actually.”

“Oh sorry for offending you. Just entering your 20s makes total sense for your disdain towards high schoolers. “Ooh I’m Axel. Look at me I’m so old and mature. I can drive around at 2 in the morning because I don’t have morning classes. Ugh. Youth.’” He snickered and the two of you sank into a comfortable silence, your yawns occasionally breaking it. After a few minutes without any further conversation, you kept jerking yourself awake whenever your chin dropped to your chest.

“You can sleep if you want. I just wanted some company while I dick around.”

“I’m not going to fall asleep on you,” you griped as you pulled the blanket up to your chin, right before promptly falling asleep. You were none too gently roused when the car pulled to a stop after rolling over what felt like about fifty railroad tracks, the constant jostling doing little to rock you back to sleep. 

“’Sup, sleepyhead.” Axel watched you rub your hand across your eyes, slowly blinking away your fatigue.

“Where are we?” 

“The bluffs.” 

The lighthouse beside you slowly swept its beam from side to side, illuminating the crests of the water down below. You were parked a safe distance from the edge of a cliff, the sheer drop to jagged rocks below prevented by what looked like the flimsiest safety rail in the world. A cool, salty breeze wafted in through the car window and you shivered, wrapping the blanket around you a little tighter. 

“Want me to close it?” Axel went to stub his cigarette out, but you quickly shook your head. He eyed you for a second longer and then went back to smoking. When you finished drinking in the terrifying display of nature before you, you turned to survey Axel as he stared blankly out the window. 

Maybe it was because of the late hour, but he had the faint purple bruising under his eyes of someone who hadn’t slept well in days. Despite the puffiness and the discolouration, it only added to the clean-cut contours of his face. You dimly recalled him telling you he wasn’t pretty enough to be a pretty boy, but you were pretty sure he was wrong. He might be all sharp angles where everyone else was rounded edges, but his charismatic rough and tumble attitude wouldn’t have fit otherwise. You watched as he absentmindedly picked at some dead skin on his lips, his expression tight as he mulled over whatever was weighing heavy on his mind. 

“Do you want to talk about...it? Whatever it is?” You gestured vaguely, hoping the waving would encourage the words to come out. He didn’t even jump at the sudden sound of your voice, didn’t even look your way, just kept staring hard at the point where the sea and sky became one as if it had all the answers he needed. 

“Nah I’ll figure it out.” 

“Then why am I even here.” 

“Relax just be my friend.” Any of the gloom that had been shrouding him earlier was carefully tucked away, the familiar _je ne sais quoi_ attitude back full force. He fumbled with his phone for a bit and then unlocked it, slouching as he tapped at the screen. The light only made the bags under his eyes worse. 

“I am your friend.” 

“Ooh.” He grinned and finally looked your way, his eyes the colour of jade in the shadows, but the glint in them was still blinding. “I think that’s the first time I ever heard you say that out loud.” 

“Don’t make it weird. Of course I’m your friend. I’m sitting in your janky-ass car (“Hey!”) in the middle of the night just hanging out while you’re scrolling through Insta and...are you seriously watching WWE clips right now?” Axel glanced down at his phone and laughed. 

“It just popped up I swear.” 

“Suuuure,” you drawled, raising a skeptical brow. “I believe you.” 

“You were never into this stuff when you were a kid? The Undertaker? ‘You’re gonna pay’?” Your eyebrow raised every so slightly. “New Jack? Johnny Grunge?” 

“This is looking less like a coincidence now,” you snarked and he rolled his eyes. 

“I used to make Kairi play WWE with me all the time when we were kids until I broke her arm. Then I was banned from watching,” he said with a chuckle. “Who knew lawn chairs packed a punch?” 

You tried to stifle your laughter, but the mental image of a tiny Axel enthusiastically swinging a chair at an equally tiny Kairi was too much and you dissolved into a fit of giggles. “You’re such a moron,” you wheezed. 

“You’re the one laughing at children violently beating each other,” he retorted, but he grinned all the same and propped a leg up on his seat. His cigarette burned low and he flicked it out the window, exhaling slowly as he looked at the sky. “This is my favourite spot.”

“Why’s that?” you asked, yawning loudly. You knew if you weren’t here at the crack of dawn you probably would’ve loved it, running around the lighthouse and staring at the water. You made a mental note to ask Riku to take you back here for a picnic. 

“Because it’s quiet. Front row seats to see Mother Nature’s terrifying ass in action.” He looked at you, carefully choosing his words. “Do you ever think about how crazy it is that no matter what we do, there’s some things we can’t change? Like some things that are just mean to happen?” 

You tiredly raised another eyebrow at him. “It’s too late for your stoner talk, bud.”

“No, like, the ocean. It doesn’t give a fuck about you, me, or the city. It’s just going to keep fucking the cliff up because that’s just what its supposed to do. It doesn’t care that one day it’s going make this giant-ass lighthouse fall down or that it’s probably going to kill some people in the process. It doesn’t care that there’s all these lives and things that we’ve built because it’s just doing what it’s supposed to do.” He was gesturing wildly at this point, and you wondered if maybe he’d had a little more to smoke before he saw you.

“What kind of weird metaphor is this? Really? The ocean’s going to fuck the cliff face up? What is this, Real Housewives?”

He half-smiled at you. “It’s just some shit that’s been on my mind.” He sighed and gripped the wheel, and if you didn’t know better you would’ve thought he looked slightly disappointed. “That’s why I’m not an English major. I’ll drive you home.”

By the time you made it home the sky was fading from black into a deep purple, and you were yawning steadily, your eyes heavy. His head hit the wheel as he groaned, stretching his back out.

“This drive back to HBU is going to suck ass.”

“Why don’t you just go home, you wiener.”

He peeked over at you, and in the steadily increasing light you could make out how bloodshot his eyes were. “My cousins are over and I don’t feel like sharing a double with Reno. That fucker hogs all the blankets.”

You rolled your eyes and threw the blanket at him. “Just stay over. You can sleep on my couch.”

He slowly sat up, frowning. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“My parents are out so it doesn’t matter, and Riku’s dead to the world in my room right now.” 

He grimaced. “Yeah, pass on third wheeling your smash fest.”

“Okay, some people surprisingly like sleeping at,” you checked your phone, “5am in the morning for fuck’s sake. We’re not all horny uni students. We’re right outside my home anyway, so don’t cry about it and if you stay in the morning…I’m making waffles.”

His nose wrinkled but he smiled all the same. “Don’t quote Shrek at me.” 

You hopped out of the car, motioning for him to join you until he reluctantly did, and then you gave him a pat on the back. “See? That wasn’t so hard, huh?”

“Fuck you, man. They better be chocolate chip waffles.” You laughed and bumped your shoulder against his. He put a hand on your head, and you looked up at him, still smiling as he surveyed you. His hand trailed down and lightly pinched your cheek, and he murmured, “You’re something else, huh?”

He almost looked a little lost as he watched you tilt your head, pushing a stray piece of hair out of your face. Your smile turned confused as you tried to figure out what he meant. “Huh?” 

He shook his head and lightly nudged you towards your door. “Let’s go. It’s cold as balls out here.”

The two of you very carefully snuck into your house, the click of the lock echoing like a gunshot in the quiet foyer. You gestured Axel towards the couch, tiptoeing upstairs to grab him a spare pillow. When you arrived back downstairs, he was already tucked under the throw blanket, and you bit the inside of your cheek as you wondered if you should tell him what you and Riku had done on top of it just hours before. ...nah he didn’t need to know. Satisfied he was settled, you patted his head much to his amusement, whispered “good night”, and then stumbled back upstairs into bed falling asleep as soon as Riku flung a heavy arm around you. 

In the morning when you went downstairs after a good fifteen minutes spent giggling with Riku – punctuated with several soft and silly kisses – it didn’t surprise you to see the couch empty, and the front door unlocked. The blanket was neatly folded along the arm of the couch and the faint smell of cigarette smoke and cologne was all that remained. 

~*~

“I have news!” 

You and Sora looked at each other, his hands flat on the lunch table from where he’d slapped them down, your arms raised in pre-emptive triumph. 

“You can go first.” 

“No, you!” 

“Mine can wait; I’m sure yours is more important.” 

“But you’re so excited!” 

“So are you though!” 

“Will somebody fucking spit it out?” Roxas glowered darkly between the two of you, his sad excuse for a hamburger mangled in his death grip. You and Sora exchanged another look and gestured silently at each other for a good ten seconds. Failing at some incredibly ineffective communication, you both blurted out at the same time: 

“Riku got into HBU!” “Thirteen is playing this weekend!” 

Another pause. 

“Wait, what? No, you go first,” you both chimed in unison. 

“Oh my god.” Roxas slammed his head into the lunch table. 

“Ri, that’s amazing!” Sora’s face nearly split in two from the force of his smile. He delivered two swift punches to his best friend’s arm, patted him on the back, and hugged him for good measure. 

“It’s really happening. Our lil ‘Ku is blowing this popsicle stand for a slightly bigger popsicle stand,” Tidus said with an exaggerated sniffle, pretending to wipe his misty eyes. 

“HB’s not that bad,” Sora said with a furrowed brow. “There’s tons more to do there than here anyway.” He whipped back around to face his best friend. “Your ‘rents must be stoked. When did you find out? This morning?” 

“Two days ago.” Riku saw something in Sora’s face freeze, and he frowned at the quick flicker on emotion. “I haven’t been really telling anybody,” he added, a little quieter. Sora shrugged his backpack up a little higher, hooking a thumb through the strap as he bobbed his head.

“Makes sense!” He looked to the side and yelped. “Oh shit, they’re gonna run out of burgers!” 

Riku watched him run off, watched him smile and cheerfully greet the lunch staff as they served him, saw the cheesy wink Remy gave him as he scooped on an extra serving of fries onto his tray. He set aside the nagging feeling that something was wrong, pushing his mental shuffling of the past month on pause when you laid your head on his shoulder. 

“Fucking Thirteen man, they’re blowing up and it’s pissing me off,” Tidus groused. “Why do people even like them? They’re just a bunch of pretentious assholes that cater to equally pretentious assholes. It’s like a meeting ground of douchey hipsters that pretend they know everything. I’d rather fucking die than go to one of their shows.”

“So, I was thinking we could go to Thirteen’s show,” Sora said, having returned with his lunch tray balanced in one hand and a stack of cookies in the other. “It’s at the Lift Stop house, and Cloud says they have some crazy ragers there.”

“Why are you so gung-ho about being a traitor, huh?” Tidus pointed an accusing finger in Sora’s face. “It’s unholy.”

“C’mon, Ti. It’s going to be a ton of fun and Cloud is actually okay with us going up to see him for a weekend.” Sora waggled his eyebrows, cookie crumbs on his cheek. “Besides, Riku needs to do a fun campus tour to find out where all the good spots are, and it can be a way to celebrate him getting in.”

Tidus squinted at his guitarist. “We’ll never get in. We don’t have any fakes, and you look like you’re twelve.”

Sora rolled his eyes. “It’s a kegger, not a bar.”

“They’re never going to let us near the booze, and I don’t feel like spending all night near a bunch of assholes without being totally loaded,” Tidus snorted.

Then Roxas leaned in, his eyes gleaming as he presented his phone for the other boy, a smirk curling his lips as he delivered the bait. “Cloud says he’ll vouch for us.”

You could see the rapid-fire thoughts buzzing around in Tidus’s head as he weighed the pros and cons of the trip, the struggle between admitting he wanted to get absolutely plastered at a university party and knowing that he was going to be in a house populated with people he probably was going to hate.

He steepled his fingers. “We don’t have anywhere to crash.”

“I can stay at Axel’s, Cloud has an air mattress and two couches, and one’s a pull-out,” Roxas counted off.

Tidus’s nose wrinkled. “I don’t want to hear the gross couple pull out on the pull-out,” he whined and Riku flicked his fries at him. 

“Unlike you and Selphie, we can keep it in our pants,” he said dryly.

Sora mimed gagging beside Tidus. “Yeah, that night scarred me. I’m never sleeping in the same room as the two of you ever again.”

You winced sympathetically. “He didn’t…”

Sora nodded solemnly. “He did. Last June at the end of year bonfire, Roxas abandoned me –” 

“I told you I was crashing at Hayner’s,” Roxas interjected with a roll of his eyes.

“—and I lost my keys so I stayed at Tidus’s, but he didn’t tell me Selphie was going to come flying through the window and scare the living shit out of me—” 

“In my defense, I didn’t know she was going to go that,” Tidus weakly argued.

“—and that’s how I heard them get to third base while I was crashing on his bedroom floor.” Sora shuddered. “One of the top five grossest things I’ve ever heard.”

Tidus ran a hand through his hair. “We weren’t that loud.”

“She sounds like a fucking squeeze-toy,” Sora deadpanned and you choked on your drink.

“We won’t do anything,” you said during a fit of coughing as Riku soothingly rubbed your back. “Promise.”

“Maybe,” Riku said with a quirk of his lips and laughed as Sora pretended to throw up in his backpack.

~*~

The Lift Stop house looked like any good frat house: a front lawn covered with detritus ranging from red solo cups to a few crooked plastic flamingos, there was a worn, torn, leather couch on the front porch, Christmas lights crookedly wound around the fence, and the school emblem proudly displayed in the window on a ragged, faded flag. It was named as such simply from the slew of Ubers that frequented the early morning hours, picking up Walk of Shamers stumbling the short distance from the front door to the sidewalk. The music was loud and the place was packed, people hanging out open windows and a few drunken partygoers sitting on the roof. 

“Jesus, is everyone here wearing black? Did we miss the fucking memo?” Tidus grumbled as he strode, tense, up the front lawn. 

“Hey!” Cloud’s silhouette waved your group up, slinging an arm around Roxas’s shoulders as he eased your group past Lexaeus, whose stony brow and equally stony frown didn’t budge an inch as he eyed every one of you up and down. The bass shook your bones, a haze of smoke drifting from the living room. 

“Let’s go,” Cloud called over his shoulder, shouting over the music. He led you to the keg, nodding at the quiet man standing beside it and slipping him twenty munny. “This is Zexion. Be nice or you don’t get any beer.” He grabbed the cups Zexion silently handed him, distributing them. As soon as you all had a drink, had ‘cheers’d (Tidus accidentally spilling on Zexion’s shoe), Cloud held out a hand. 

“Let’s set some ground rules. Number one,” he slapped Roxas on the back, “don’t puke.” Ruffling Sora’s hair, he disappeared into the crowd.

“Is that seriously it?” Sora yelped, craning his neck in a futile search for his older brother. 

Roxas guffawed and downed half his cup. “Typical.”

A few rounds of flip cup later, you were caught in the middle of a very loud, drunken debate in the kitchen between Demyx, his arm around a very tall, pretty brunette in a purple dress, and a blond man with a goatee, earring, and a British accent you were 80% sure was fake. 

“No, man, I’m telling you,” Demyx insisted, beer sloshing over the side of his cup. Megara’s nose wrinkled and she shuffled back a step. “Sora’s at least thirteen.” He paused and then laughed, “HA. Thirteen. I just got that.”

A hand tugged you back by your shirt and you stumbled back, tilting your head back to look up at Axel. He smiled and winked. “Sup. Roxas just told me you’re here.”

You smiled back. “Hey! I was gonna come find you, but I got caught in, uh…” You looked over, but Luxord was already in a lively conversation with someone else, and Demyx was whispering something in Meg’s ear, his hand creeping dangerously low towards her ass. 

“You got stuck with the idiots,” Axel supplied and jerked his head over to the counter. He poured the two of you a shot, and slid it over, his eyes fixed on the trail of alcohol along the countertop. “Where’s your boyfriend?”

“No idea. I actually haven’t seen him for a while…” You turned to scan the kitchen, and Axel nudged the shot against your knuckles. 

“I’m sure he’s fine. Cheers.” You downed it, wincing at the burn. He passed you a chase, and you gratefully sucked it down. “It’s pretty sick you’re here to watch us play.” 

“Of course! Sora was super pumped.” 

Axel leaned in a little closer, bridging the distance between you. His voice was softer, and you had to move in just to hear him say, “Is that the only reason you’re here?” 

A slap and a yelp snapped you out of a reverie you didn’t even realize you’d entered. Demyx looked bemused as he cupped his stinging cheek, watching Megara stomping out of the kitchen. He gave an easy shrug, his limbs knocking a cup of beer out of Luxord’s hands somehow. “I’ll get her back later,” he said with a shake of his head. 

The music abruptly cut off and Demyx blanched. “Oh fuck, we’re late. We’re so late.” He turned and grabbed the nearest person by the shoulders. Your face lit up at the sight of Riku, though he looked significantly less enthused as Demyx violently shook him back and forth. “How pissed is Cloud on a scale of one to ten?”

“Like a seven.” Demyx yelped and darted off, dragging Axel behind him. You laced your fingers with Riku’s, tugging him towards the counter as you poured the two of you a shot. 

“To Demyx and his abruptly short life,” you said, knocking it back. 

He didn’t touch his. “What did Axel want?”

Your eyes closed and you massaged your temples. You knew that voice. You’d hoped it wouldn’t come up again, been relieved that nothing else was said since your blow-out months ago. Things had been fine; more than fine. “Riku.”

“What.”

“He was just being friendly.” Your mouth was in a thin line when you looked at him again, crossing your arms across your chest.

He mirrored your pose, jutting his chin out. “Why?”

“Probably because we’re friends.”

“Friends? Seriously? You didn’t see what you guys looked like—” 

“We were just talking!” You quickly lowered your voice, a few stragglers in the kitchen turning curious eyes towards the two of you. “What’s the big deal?”

Riku sputtered. “He was—you guys were too close—”

“And?” You leaned forward anger fierce in your chest. “Sora hugs me all the time. Tidus calls me his boo. I’ve braided Roxas’s hair more times than I can count. This is how I am with my friends.”

“It’s different with him.” He took off his hat, running an agitated hand through his hair. He didn’t want to make a scene, far from it. He was already regretting bringing it up here and now, with so many people around, but the alcohol was fuelling his righteous rage and it felt like he had so many things he wanted to say he wanted to burst. “He wants you.”

You gaped at him, “What?”

“I’m telling you. He wants you.” He shifted his weight to his other foot.

You nodded slowly and he balked. That wasn’t the reaction he was looking for. “Okay and? I want you.”

Riku’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not going to stop him.”

“Holy shit.” You threw your hands up. “Why is it so difficult for you to believe that a boy could be friends with me?”

“That’s not how guys work.”

“So, what, every single guy who speaks to me has ulterior motives? That’s not just insulting to them, it’s insulting to me.” He opened his mouth to retaliate and you held up a hand. “I really don’t want to fight right now.” You looked up imploringly at him, trying to peek under the brim of his hat. “Just please, please trust me. We’re just friends. Okay?” You tickled at his elbow, trying not to let the knot in your stomach turn to panic when his expression didn’t soften. “Riku?”

He inhaled, slow and deep, and tugged at the edge of your shirt, his fingers brushing against your skin. “We can talk about it later.”

It wasn’t much, it wasn’t promising, and you could feel your stomach sinking at the implication in his words, but you brushed it aside. You put on a brave face, forcing yourself to smile. “Let’s just go watch them play.”

The two of you had taken too long and the garage and driveway were packed by the time you made it there. Sora, Roxas, and Tidus was sitting on the rickety railing surrounding the porch, two high spots of colour on Sora’s cheeks as he laughed loudly at something Roxas said. 

You and Riku stood at the edge of the crowd, leaning against someone’s car as he wrapped his arm around you, pulling you close to ward off the late-night chill. He lightly tapped his drink against yours, taking a long swig.

“Alright, you already know who we are.” You could imagine Tidus rolling his eyes at the opening statement. “Let’s go.”

You saw Demyx lift a beer, taking a huge gulp and then gargling. Cloud’s shoulders were shaking with laughter as he played, Demyx swaying loosely from side to side as he leaned into the mic and warbled, “ _El Scorcho! Ay carumba!_ ”

He stepped back his dance moves somehow even looser than usual as he bounced around. Then Axel began to sing, and everything went to shit.

“ _Goddamn you half-Japanese girls! Do it to me every time. Oh, the redhead said you shred the cello…and I'm jello, baby_.” 

Riku’s arm tensed and your heart sank. Trying to explain your way out of this one was going to be difficult. Granted, you didn’t know for sure that he was singing about you, but the damning evidence was piling high, especially the thinly veiled reference to your family. Riku crushed his empty in his fist, and let it clatter to the ground. 

“ _But you won't talk, won't look, won't think of me. I'm the epitome of public enemy. Why you wanna go and do me like that? Come down on the street and dance with me._ ”

Okay, maybe it was about you just a little bit. You squirmed uncomfortably. Riku was practically radiating hostile energy, his “I told you so” nearly palpable in the air. Still, you didn’t expect this. At the most, you’d admit that there was some residual sexual tension between the two of you, but you wrote it off as something to be expected given your history together. And, you mentally added on, you were allowed to appreciate when people were good looking, regardless if you were dating someone or not. 

“ _I'm a lot like you so please, hello, I'm here, I'm waiting. I think I'd be good for you and you'd be good for me._ ”

“I’m done. Let’s go.”

You turned, startled. His jaw was clenched, eyes as cold as ice and you shrank away from him. “We can’t leave everyone else here.”

“Cloud can drive them tomorrow. Or Axel.” He practically spat the name out, his upper lip curling into a sneer. 

Your fingers curled into fists, your breathing picking up as you shook his arm off your shoulders. “I’m not leaving our friends just because you decided to pitch a fit!”

Riku’s eyes widened and he took a step back. “What?”

“ _I asked you to go to the Green Day concert; you said you never heard of them. How cool is that? So I went to your room and read your diary: watching Grunge Leg drop New-Jack through a press table...and then my heart stopped: Listening to Cio-Cio San, fall in love all over again_.”

You held up your hands to placate him. “Riku, there’s nothing going on with me and Axel.”

He flung an angry arm out, pointing at the garage. “He’s singing a fucking song about you right now.”

“You don’t know that!”

“ _I'm a lot like you so please, hello, I'm here, I'm waiting! I think I'd be good for you and you'd be good for me_.”

Riku laughed harshly, shifting his hat around as he started to pace. “I think it’s pretty obvious that he’s trying to snipe you to everyone except you.” He pressed his hands together, begging you to understand. Praying that you’d listen to him. “Why don’t you believe me?”

“Ri, I told you that you’re the one I want and even if he is trying, it doesn’t matter—”

“You’re saying that until he takes you from me.”

You were stunned as he bulldozed over you. “Until he takes me from you? Why is it so hard for you to remember that I’m an independent human being who can decide for herself who she wants to be with? Nobody gets to ‘take’ me like I’m some fucking prize to be won.”

Riku sighed, lifting his hat off his head and ruffling his hair as he stared at the sky. He put the cap back on backwards, and your heart skipped a beat, traitorous in spite of the overwhelming disappointment that was settling into the marrow of your bones. “Okay,” he admitted. “Okay, that was the wrong thing to say I’m just really, really…” He trailed off and cast a dark glance at the garage.

“ _How stupid is it? I can't talk about it, I gotta sing about it and make a record of my heart. How stupid is it? Won't you gimme a minute? Just come up to me and say hello to my heart._ ”

“Can we please just get out of here.” He was back to begging and he hated it, but every second spent near that fucking guy and hearing this fucking song was driving him crazy. He didn’t like being jealous at the best of times, but with the way you were looking at him he felt like the scum of the earth. He felt like he was five years old again, throwing a tantrum in public. 

“ _How stupid is it? For all I know you want me too, and maybe you just don't know what to do! Or maybe you're scared to say: 'I'm falling for you’_.”

You sighed, shivering a little as a breeze ghosted your skin. “We can’t just leave everyone else here, and you’ve been drinking. You really shouldn’t drive.” 

“Then let’s just leave the party.”

“And go where? We’re crashing at Cloud’s.”

His frustration was returning to an all time high, a pounding headache building behind his eyes as he fought to keep his temper in check. “Why do you want to stay so badly?”

“ _I wish I could get my head out of the sand, ‘cause I think we'd make a good team, and you would keep my fingernails clean_.”

“Is it because of him?”

You started seething. You didn’t know how many times you had to tell him there was nothing going on, but you were getting tired of it. His inability to believe that you were capable of being friends with Axel was infuriating, and at this point you were convinced he was being unreasonable on purpose. “You know that’s not why. We were supposed to have fun tonight with our friends, and instead we’re fighting about this bullshit! You’re being really fucking immature right now,” you snapped, still shivering. 

He recoiled and his temper flared. “How am I being immature?”

“ _But that's just a stupid dream that I won't realize ‘cause I can't even look in your eyes without shaking, and I ain't faking! I'll bring home the turkey if you bring home the bacon...!_ ”

“Because you don’t believe me!” you practically screamed, the frustration a sharp edge in your voice. “No matter what I say you always have a comeback and it’s exhausting trying to keep up with all the stupid ‘evidence’ you’re throwing at me.”

“Cool.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, and nodded. “I’ll stop ruining your night then.” He turned on his heel and stalked off.

“Riku!” Your eyes pricked with tears as your shoulders shook. You pressed your lips together to keep from yelling after him, the tears spilling down your cheeks as you watched him storm away, fading away into the night. 

You angrily wiped your tears away, trying to calm your breathing down. It was too late to go after him, but you felt oddly guilty about going back to the party knowing he was out there on his own, heading who knows where.

“ _I'm a lot like you so please, hello, I'm here, I'm waiting. I think I'd be good for you and you'd be good for me._ ”

Another gust of wind made up your mind for you and you quickly crossed the street, back towards the warm, welcoming light as Axel’s voice carried across the lawn towards you, coiling around your limbs.

“ _I'm a lot like you…I'm a lot like you, and I'm waiting. I think I'd be good for you and you'd be good for me._ ”

You shimmied past the drunkenly whooping crowd, plastering a smile on your face when Sora reached out and pulled you in for a tight hug. Your chest clenched and you forced the wail in your throat down, ducking your head to hide the tiny tears gathering. 

“Sora let go of her.” Roxas’s voice was muffled by Sora’s arms, but the amusement was crystal clear.

“No.” Sora sighed happily and rested his head atop yours. “I haven’t seen you all night!” You swallowed thickly, willing yourself to keep it together, but you began to cry anyway, quiet, hiccupping little sobs as Sora stilled, murmuring in your ear, “Hey, you okay?”

He very gently pulled away from you, tenderly wiping his thumbs across your cheeks, his face broken as he looked at you. 

“What happened?” You just continued to cry, praying desperately that it would stop soon. He looked around, his lips pursed. “Where’s Riku?” You started to cry harder and he tried to shush you soothingly, pulling you in for another hug.

“That fucking asshole,” Roxas grumbled, pulling off his flannel and wrapping it around you. “Tidus, stop staring like a useless idiot and go grab us some fucking Kleenex.”

“Yeah, yup, on it.” Tidus scampered away, eager to do something else than robotically pat you on the arm with sheer panic written all over his face. You flushed when you heard someone walking by laugh and whisper, “That’s awkward”, and Sora hugged you a little firmer. From your viewpoint, all you could see was his and Roxas’s shoes, but you still felt better when Sora turned you away from any gawking eyes, Roxas moving to block you from the other side. 

“Ignore them,” Roxas muttered darkly. 

After a few minutes Tidus’s boots clomped into view. Roxas spoke, voice eerily even and measured. “Tidus. What the fuck is that.”

“Yeah, my bad man, I couldn’t find any tissues, but I got some toilet paper.” There was a brief pause. “Oh, and this is an orange.” You let out a watery giggle when you heard Roxas punch Tidus in the arm, the lead singer yelping in pain. 

“You really are an idiot.” Five seconds passed. “How did you find an orange in a frat house? I thought they only lived off pizza and beer.”

“I…have no idea.”

Roxas’s feet shifted. “That’s…actually pretty impressive.” He gently coaxed you out of Sora’s hold and offered you the toilet paper. You gratefully accepted, drabbing at your face and grimacing as you tried to wipe the mascara tracks away.

“Feel better?” Sora asked softly, his arms still circling you.

You gave him a wan smile. “Well, this is one-ply, so…”

He chuckled. “We can leave if you want. I’ll ask Cloud for his keys?” You shook your head. 

“I wanna stay. And if we leave now…” Your eyes darted to the street, and Roxas sighed.

“Maybe if he spends a night on the street it’ll knock some fucking sense into him.”

“Rox,” Sora said disapprovingly, and Roxas scowled.

“I’m kidding. Kind of.”

“Let’s just go back in.” Tidus nodded eagerly at your statement and handed you part of the orange, his cheeks stuffed full with the rest of the fruit.

“Where you guys been?” Axel had a drink in each hand and a razor-sharp smile as he watched Cloud and Vivi play beer pong against Zexion and Lexaeus. He motioned you over, slinging an arm around your shoulders as he leaned in conspiratorially to mutter, “Demyx is trying to hook up with Zexion.”

Demyx was staring steadily at the man in question, uncharacteristically focussed as he sucked on his teeth. “I could make it happen.”

You blinked. “I thought you were with uh…” you struggled to recall the name of the tall, willowy girl with the long dark hair and purple dress from before, feeling more than a little confused.

Demyx winked at you, holding his arms out to the side. “It’s 2019. Bisexuality is on the table, baby.”

Axel snickered. “Yeah good luck convincing the honour student to fuck the drop out.”

“Watch me,” Demyx shot back. “OHHH!” He fist-pumped as Cloud sunk another shot, grinning. “Don’t worry, Zexy. I’ll be your partner next and we’ll destroy these assholes.” 

“Pass,” Cloud said, fist bumping Vivi. “Vi’s gotta leave anyway.”

Demyx groaned theatrically as he casually flung an arm over Zexion’s shoulders. “Tell your boring boyfriend to stop studying and come party.”

“I tried, but he threatened to maim me if I mentioned the words ‘kegger’ and ‘frat-house’ one more time,” Vivi said apologetically.

“We’ll take you on,” Axel said, downing his drink as he dragged you over to the table. “Your ass is mine, O’Donohue.”

Demyx grinned. “Didn’t know you liked me that way, Wathaus.”

The rest of the night passed in a blur, every hour filled with laughter and conversation. Sora kept checking his phone, shaking his head whenever you caught his eye. Riku didn’t reappear all night, and fear was gnawing at your gut by the time the party came to a close. Cloud slapped a key in Sora’s hand and tweaked his nose, muttering, “be good” before disappearing out the door with a tall, curvy brunette, the two of them practically glued at the hip as she played with his earring, his fingers toying with the red ribbon tied around her arm. 

“Nothing?” you whispered as you sidled up beside Sora, the word heavy as you chewed on your lower lip. 

He shook his head and then his phone buzzed, Riku’s name flashing onto the screen and you practically crumpled to the ground with relief. Sora scanned the message, Roxas watching his twin closely for any change in expression. “He’s fine. He walked back to Cloud’s and got in with his extra key.”

“Dickbag,” Roxas hissed, and Sora’s face shot up to stare reproachfully at his twin, but then he deflated, looking back at the string of unanswered texts and calls he’d sent.

“…yeah.” He locked his phone. “Yeah, tonight he’s a dickbag. Let’s just…go back. It’s been a long-ass night.” He gave the room a quick onceover and then grabbed a bottle of Jameson. “One for the road?”

Sora and Tidus were loudly singing Celine Dion the entire way back, your arms linked with theirs, but the slurred rendition of _My Heart Will Go On_ did little to ease the tension squirming inside you. When you went into the living room, Tidus promptly launched himself on the couch, drunkenly singing “Good night!” as he kicked off his shoes.

Sora hovered in the doorway to Cloud’s bedroom. “You sure you don’t want to sleep in here? I don’t mind sleeping on the couch.” You shook your head, both of you trying to ignore the dim outline of Riku wrapped in a blanket in the living room. 

“I’ll be okay.”

“Okay.” He gave you a soft smile. “Night.”

You carefully eased onto the thin mattress, holding your breath as the springs squeaked. Riku’s back was towards you, an unyielding mountain in the moonlight. You wanted to reach out to touch him, but your hand hesitated, hovering over the curve of his shoulder. It would be wrong to wake him, even though selfishly you wanted to. You wanted him to tuck you against his chest, wanted to just put everything behind you. You wanted things to be back to the way they were before, to ease the hurt burrowing deep into your heart. 

You tentatively traced along his arm. “Are you awake?” From the other couch, Tidus began to snore. 

Riku shifted, the blanket rustling as he turned to face you. “Yeah. I couldn’t sleep.” You looked at him, brushing the hair from his face. “I’m sorry. I was a douche.” 

“I don’t want to fight about this anymore,” you whispered, your voice starting to shake again. 

“No, don’t— don’t cry. Hey, it’s okay.” He pulled you close. 

“Why don’t you trust me?” He felt like you’d stabbed him in the chest and then twisted the knife, the quiet question echoing around him. He could feel the tears you were fighting to hide making his shirt damp. 

He hated when you cried. All his anger, his hurt, his carefully crafted arguments dissolved in the face of your tears, and he felt helpless. Powerless. Nothing else mattered than to get you to stop, to get you to smile at him again. 

“I do,” he sighed. “I do and I’ll…try. For you.”

Your sniffling stopped as the shock settled in, your grudging acceptance that this was going to be another long conversation dissipating. “What?”

“I know I said it before, but I’ll…I’ll actually try this time. I’m fine with you being friends.” The words grated when he spoke them, his body strung tight as a bow as he tried to convince himself that he wasn’t blatantly lying to you. If he told it to himself enough times, maybe he could make it the truth. Maybe he could take his rage and hurt and press it down until it came out, clear and bright, a beacon of resilience and trust. Maybe he could show you he could be the better man. 

“Actually?”

He buried his face in your hair, kissing the crown of your head. He’d say it a thousand times if it meant he’d never make you cry again.

“Actually.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late af post because THAT. RAPS. GAME. THO. CAN YOU TELL WHAT COUNTRY I'M FROM OR WHAT.
> 
> Ah, gotta love people lying for the sake of love. From what we've been shown time and time again in popular media, that never ever EVER backfires.
> 
> "That man fucks." - Tidus about Riku, probably.


	17. Do Me A Favour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Song here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9pKQUx3w1c)
> 
> Smut ahoy! Not interested? Stop reading after, "the throw blanket trapped beneath your bodies." and start up again at the next break (~*~)

“FREEDOM. Holy fuck we’re free. I don’t have to be here for eight hours a day anymore!” Tidus flung himself face-first into the front lawn of the school, Ms. Anderson sneering from the steps as she watched him rolling around. 

“That’s if you’re lucky enough to pass your finals and not need summer school,” she said as she crossed her arms, and Tidus popped up, a sunny smile on his face.

“Now, Miss, we both know you don’t want to see my annoying little butt Monday to Friday, two hours a day for the entirety of your summer vacation.” He pretended to brush some dirt off his shoulders, instead streaking the soil across his shirt.

“Is that a threat, Zanarkand?” she asked, smiling slightly in spite of herself.

He looked at her solemnly, planting his hands firmly on his knees. “I’m not above begging teachers to grade on a curve and boost my 49 to a sweet 60.” 

She snorted, masked it as a cough, and waved at him. “If you actually put in some effort this time, you won’t need to. _Bon chance_.” He stared at her blankly, and her expression grew pained. “Did you remember anything from French class last semester?”

“Uh…”

“…good luck, Tidus,” she sighed, and went back inside, muttering, “Four more days” under her breath as her shoulders slumped.

Tidus whooped and flung a few fistfuls of grass in the air. Selphie shuddered as she quickly scurried past, trying to hide her face behind her hands.

“Hey, you see that? That’s gotta hurt,” Roxas said with a laugh. Tidus frowned as he watched her trying to speed-walk away, and he yelled after her,

“You’re the one who stuck your tongue in my mouth! You knew what you were signing up for!” She was blocked by several blitzball players who turned to look at Tidus, amused. She squeaked and tried to squeeze through them as Tidus bellowed, “You can’t pretend this didn’t happen! PEOPLE DON’T FORGET!”

“Jesus, Tidus,” Roxas cackled, doubled over as he laughed, tearing up as he clutched at his stomach. “Give the girl a break.”

“I don’t know why she’s being so shady. Two nights ago, she literally had her hand down my—”

“Ugh, just stop talking,” Sora said as he grimaced. “It was bad enough I had to hear it last time, I don’t need a play by play.”

“All I’m saying is next week at the bonfire she’s going to be all over this,” he said with a lascivious lick of his lips, gesturing up and down his body. 

“What’s this bonfire you guys keep talking about?” you asked, swinging yours and Riku’s joined hands together as Tidus stood, covered in grass and crushed flower petals.

“The blitzball team always has one after exams every year. Every. Year,” Tidus said solemnly. “It’s also when all the summer flings get set up. Whoever macks at the fire, macks all summer.” He gleefully rubbed his hands together. 

“And you _want_ to be around Selphie all summer?” Roxas asked disgust, dropping his board to the ground with a clatter.

“There are worse things.”

“Guess I won’t see you until September,” Roxas quipped as he skated away, yelling over Tidus’s offended squawks, “Catch you guys later!”

Sora groaned as he tugged on his unruly hair. “How he finds time to board, study, practise blitzball and the drums, AND get A’s is magic. We’re _twins_. Aren’t we supposed to be the same or something?”

“Guess we know who got the brains in the family,” Riku laughed, and Sora glared.

“Hey!”

“Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.” Sora’s mollification was brief as Riku quipped, “Cloud’s pretty smart too.”

“HEY!”

You laughed as Sora sniped and snarked at Riku, watching the two of them warmly as they bantered, Tidus occasionally dropping a remark here and there just to stir the pot. By the time your quartet had split up you were back to the existential dread of exam season, wondering how on earth you were going to survive doing this your senior year and then again in university if you were already struggling with it now.

“You look stressed. Why’re you stressed?” Riku rubbed a soothing thumb against your shoulder, and you sighed, dropping your head to rest against his chest.

“Easy for you to say. You’re smart and went to class and didn’t destroy half your brain cells drinking every single night,” you muttered. He tensed a little and your mouth slammed shut once you registered what you’d said. “Sorry—”

“Don’t apologize.” He hummed thoughtfully. “It makes sense. You’re putting too much pressure on yourself to succeed, but you’re forgetting that you’re pretty smart.”

“Says the guy who’s the smartest student we’ve had at Destiny Collegiate since Milo Thatch,” you parroted at him, whipping your head up to look at him. “Nobody our year even knows who Milo Thatch _is. That’s_ how fucking smart you are, where people are bringing up people that don’t even live here anymore!”

Riku roared with laughter at that, boyish and loud as he pulled you close. You flushed at how irresistibly good he looked when he was happy and carefree, warm all over that you’d made that happen. “Okay,” he managed between a few stray chuckles as he led you to your porch, “let me try again. You’re scared of failing—”

“This isn’t much better, but go on,” you sighed, sitting heavily beside him and letting your head rest on his shoulder. He dropped his down on top and hummed thoughtfully as you moped.

“You’re scared of failing because otherwise it means your family moved here for nothing.”

You hand spasmed in his, nails biting into his skin as he hissed. “Jesus, Riku,” you mumbled. “Don’t take it easy on me or anything.”

“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing,” he replied patiently, carefully extricating himself out of your grip to wrap his arm around your shoulders. “It means you value them. Value the sacrifice they made.”

You sniffed and tried to force the lump in your throat down, willing the tears to stay away. “When did you get all wise on me?”

He laughed a little hollowly, his grip tightening imperceptibly. “Because I’m scared of failing too.”

You huffed, nudging at his head with your own. “There’s no way you will. Milo Thatch, remember?”

He hummed again, but didn’t respond and with a sinking feeling you began to wonder what exactly he was actually trying to say. You didn’t know you wanted to find out. 

You slipped out from his arm and stood, wetting your lips as he slowly rose to his feet. “Well,” you said nervously, cursing the apprehensive squeak in your voice, “you know what they say is a great stress reliever?”

The slow pull of the smirk on his lips had your legs weak as he leaned in, voice hot and rough as he asked, “What?”

Without a word you turned and unlocked the front door, body tingling when his hands found your hips and pressed your body against his. “Aren’t your parents going to be home soon?”

“Not anytime soon,” you replied faintly, sighing as his lips pressed briefly against your neck. 

“Good,” he murmured as the two of you stumbled through the door. 

The living room, for some reason, was a favourite spot of his. More often than not the two of you ended up sprawled across the couch or floor, a movie night evolving into something more heated as your mumbled protests of “wouldn’t he rather do this in a bed?” quickly dissolving into long moans and sighs. Today was no different as he guided your bodies to the couch, and you shrieked with laughter as you slid off it onto the floor, the throw blanket trapped beneath your bodies.

“Riku,” you panted as his fingers made quick work of your top, the sleeves catching around your elbows as he growled, futilely trying to push the shirt off despite having missed the entire latter half of the buttons. 

“Whatever,” he muttered and proceeded to kiss a lewd trail down your chest, a hand roughly cupping your breast for a quick second before it followed his mouth down your body. When there was time, he’d do his best to drag everything out until you were left squirming beneath or above him, his own arousal near painful by the time he was finished with you. As it was, with the impending arrival of your parents and the fact that the two of you were in a easily visible area from the front door, there wasn’t any time for that.

He pressed a hand to your core and you whined, pressing your hips harder into his fingers. His entire body shuddered as he unconsciously shifted his hips, the glide of fabric across his erection sweet relief, if only for a moment. The sheer curtains drawn across the window fluttered in the breeze and for a moment he caught a clear glimpse of the sidewalk where a few passersby were walking. Granted, there was no way anybody would be able to tell what the two of you were doing without pressing their nose to the window or, god forbid, walking through the front door, but it sent a thrum of arousal through him all the same. He really needed to examine that later, maybe when you weren’t being quite so distracting by rocking against his hand until it was damp.

He put a gentle, but firm hand over your mouth and leant down to whisper, “You have to keep quiet or everyone outside is going to hear you.”

Almost immediately your eyes glazed over and you gave a particularly insistent roll of your hips as your pupils somehow managed to dilate even more. You’d listened to him, your whimpers growing quieter and breathier, but what really short-circuited his brain was the fact that now you were wet to the point his hand was sopping despite the underwear you still had on.

“Oh…” he breathed, palming a hand over the front of his pants before swiftly undoing them, pulling his length free. “Fuck, you like that, huh?” He still had the sense of mind to set a condom to the side as he continued to play with you, and you hastily snatched it up, rolling it down. His brain blanked at the light touch, his cock twitching as he shallowly dipped his fingers in and out, teasing and light. He drew tight circles around your clit with his thumb as your breath hitched, fighting to keep your voice low as your back arched. You mumbled something behind his hand and he slowly pulled it away.

You panted, cheeks flushed, lips wet as you looked him dead in the eye and whispered, “Fuck me already.”

That did it for him. He roughly grabbed you and pulled you up, kissing you hard before turning you around, one hand pushing your underwear to the side and the other wrapped firmly around the base of his cock. He pushed in without any resistance, shivering as he dimly registered how ready you were for him. Once you were fully seated on top of him you moaned, long and quiet as his hands flew to your hips and breasts.

“Missed this,” you said brokenly, drunkenly, grinding your hips back against his. He laughed breathily against your ear, cutting off into a grunt as you started riding him. 

Part of him wanted to tease you about it only having been a week, but instead he said, “Yeah, fuck, missed this too.” He hands wandered down to your hips, gripping hard as he started slamming you faster onto his cock. “Missed _you_.”

The impending time limit was driving him faster; you were trying your best to be quiet, but quiet gasps and curses were still spilling from your lips. “ _Riku_ ,” you choked out and he gritted his teeth, fighting through the way his length throbbed at his name. He pushed you down until you were on all fours, your shaky arms collapsing beneath you as his bruising hold on you never ceased, his hips slamming against yours as he braced his hands on either side of your head.

“Oh my _god_ ,” you sobbed, slapping your own hand over your mouth as you felt him go deeper, faster, harder with each passing moment. 

“Fuck, I’m gonna come,” he panted, his hips losing their rhythm as they drove into you. “You feel too good, I’m close I’m gonna—” His hips jerked unevenly once, twice, three times as he came, your name stuttered in between strained moans as he fought to keep his own voice down. His hand clumsily found your clit, trembling as he stroked and rubbed just right, just how you’d shown him before until you were keening against your closed fist, pussy clenching spasmodically around him. He slowly pulled out, your body still humming and hot as you lay boneless on the floor, skirt still hiked up around your waist. 

“Fuck, that was—” Abruptly the two of you jumped apart, the telltale sound of a car pulling into the driveway sending him flying to the bathroom as he shoved himself back inside his pants, your own hands quickly straightening your underwear and shirt as you ran to the kitchen. You parents walked into the two of you sitting at the kitchen table, drinking orange juice as he patiently sat beside you explaining a few problem-sets in your pre-calc workbook as you dutifully nodded along. 

What they didn’t notice as the two of you met them with a beaming smile, and indulged them in a quick conversation about school and exams, was that the throw blanket that had once draped along the couch was shoved unceremoniously in the laundry hamper; nor did they need to know that as soon as they left the room Riku’s hand squeezed your upper thigh, a smirk on his lips as he watched you blush after he whispered,

“Next time I’ll bend you over this table.”

~*~ 

The sun felt wonderful on Sora’s face, gently warming his cheeks as he closed his eyes and smiled, basking in the heat. He nodded his head along to the dulcet voices of The Beach Boys as they sang, humming along quietly as he fiddled with one earbud. The breeze ruffled his spikes, the birds were singing in perfect harmony around him, and his shoes were lightly thumping on the wall he was perched on in time with his music. To the students trickling out the front doors he was a bold visual of the freedom of summer vacation with his easy expression and relaxed posture. A few grinned and loosened their ties as they walked past, a bounce in their steps. It was summertime! 

A tap to his knee had him slowly opening his eyes, reluctantly pulling himself from his happy revelation that he’d have time to go surfing every morning this summer. 

“You’re done weirdly early. Don’t you suck at Computer Science?” Riku asked with a grin, and Sora shrugged easily as he paused his music. 

“I got Tron to help me study,” he chirped back cheerily as he hopped off the wall.

“Tron? Wait…isn’t that the guy you met on—”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Sora interrupted hastily, shoving his headphones into his pocket, but the Cheshire grin on Riku’s face appeared nonetheless as he finished with,

“—Neopets?”

Sora groaned dramatically, his shoulders sagging. “Listen, our parents were wrong. Making friends on the internet isn’t a bad thing.”

“Thanks for the tip, Sora,” Riku chuckled. “But it’s cool you guys are still talking,” he added, noting the slumped back was still lingering as they walked home. 

Sora perked up considerably at that, back to a dazzling smile that could put the sun to shame. “Yeah! And it’s good ‘cause it lets me check in on Necho too.”

Riku paused, confusion settling across his forehead as he replayed Sora’s words before bursting out into a fit of laughter. “Sora, wait, you’re not texting this guy or anything? DMs? Twitter? Jesus, not even emailing?”

Sora tripped over the sidewalk as he caught his mistake, desperately waving his hands as he tried to stutter out an excuse, but it did little to prevent Riku from positively howling as he yelled,

“I can’t believe you’re fucking NEOMAILING this guy.”

The blush that spread across Sora’s face was probably enough to fry an egg on, his voice high-pitched as he squeaked something along the lines of, “NEOPETS DESERVE LOVE AND CARE TOO!”, Riku’s laughter ringing down the street. 

By the time they reached Riku’s house the older boy’s snickers had become sparse, and Sora had stopped scowling at the ground as he kicked at stray pebbles. “What’re you up to now?”

Riku calmed himself down and glanced at his phone, wondering if you’d texted him back. His **just finished!** was still the last message on the screen, and he cast an eye at your front door, wishing he could see through brick and mortar if only to confirm your whereabouts. 

“It’s cool, I’ll just see you later,” Sora said lightly, hoisting his backpack up higher, but Riku shook his head. 

“Nah, we can hang out for a bit. I still have to whip your ass at Street Fighter,” Riku said with a crooked smile as Sora’s face lit up. 

“Oh, you’re on,” he said with a bounce to a step, practically running up to Riku’s front door. Riku allowed himself one last glance at his phone, his gut feeling not unlike it was filled with lead as he wondered what you were up to.

~*~

“Okay, wow, fuck off.” You groaned as you slumped against the couch, watching what felt like the fiftieth K.O. flash across the screen. Axel was cackling beside you, his long limbs flung across the cushions. 

“You just gotta get better.”

“Unlike you I don’t spend every waking minute playing Street Fighter,” you grumbled as the two of you started a new fight. The front door opened, but you barely registered the sound of someone making their way to the living room as you tried, and failed, to dodge and combo. Cammy unceremoniously met her end as you buried your face into a pillow and screamed.

“You wanna play?” You poked your head out of your cushiony prison and felt discomfort race down your spine as you saw Kairi plucking at the extraordinarily unattractive hairstyle Axel had decided to sport. Despite all his hair piled into the world’s reddest tree on the top of his head, he still somehow managed to pull it off. God knows how. 

She glanced at you as you quickly turned away, pretending to be too busy lamenting your loss. “Pass.”

“Don’t be a wiener, K-rizzle. (“What did you just call me?”) Start your summer vacay off with some quality time with your big bro.” He waggled his eyebrows obnoxiously at her, and had you not been firmly biting the inside of your cheek you might’ve laughed. 

You shifted awkwardly in your seat, and the resulting squeak of skin against leather was enough to draw their attention towards you. “I should probably get going anyway,” you said with a tense smile, half-shrugging as you offered her the controller.

“Not until you see what a real fight looks like,” Axel interjected with a smirk, scooting down the couch and patting the empty space. “It might be the first challenge I have all day.”

Kairi’s eyes bored into yours and you fought the urge to look away, feeling the beginnings of a cold sweat prick along your palms as you watched her survey you. Sure, maybe brushing past a screaming match wasn’t the brightest of ideas, but unpacking everything that had happened between the two of you was definitely not an option you wanted to explore; especially not with her nearly drilling holes into your head from the sheer force of her expression. 

A delicate hand reached out and plucked the controller from your hands, and you grimaced as you felt it easily slide out of your slick palms. She didn’t look back at you as she sat on the couch, tucking one leg underneath her as she scrolled through the players. You nearly sighed with relief. This was a much better alternative to her verbally eviscerating you. 

On the screen, Vega and Chun-Li were facing off. “How was the exam?”

“Easy,” Kairi said in a clipped voice, and you saw Axel’s slight frown. You wanted to shift around in your seat, feeling more uncomfortable by the second, but the obscene sound from earlier had you sitting as still as you could, careful to breathe as shallowly as you could. 

He swore as she got a few hits in, leaning forward so his elbows were sitting on his knees. “What, no play-by-play? What if I want to hear about how you absolutely decimated some standardized testing with your insane ability to regurgitate information at the drop of a hat?”

Kairi smiled a little at that, her eyes trained on the screen as she played. “It was _fine_ , Axel. It was the exact same as last year and the year before that. Shimomura hasn’t changed her format at all.”

“Predictable as always. Just like you!” Axel had a wild grin as his fingers quickly tapped for a combo, reducing Chun-Li to a sliver of HP as he prepared Vega for the killing blow. His sweet triumph faded to a look of horror as the next twenty seconds quickly prove him wrong, and with a few presses, a spinning bird kick and a cheery, “Thanks for the memories!” flashing on the screen, Kairi was smiling sweetly at the slack-jawed expression on her older brother’s face.

“That’s what you get for leaving Street Fighter here,” she said as she casually tucked her hair behind her ear. You had to hold back your shocked laughter, nearly choking on it as she set the controller on the coffee table.

“There’s no fucking way you got that good in three months,” he said with a furrowed brow, still staring disbelievingly as the screen that was proving him wrong. He huffed and grumbled as Kairi laughed, the iciness in her shoulders melting away as she momentarily forgot you were still there, the afternoon sun streaking her hair with rubies and filling her eyes with sapphires and blooming violets. For a moment your heart ached as you remembered the first day you saw her, the same giddiness and care-free expression on her face as she raced over to your small group. Remembered the way for a second hope had bloomed inside your chest that maybe this time you could have a girl as a friend, not just someone who viewed you as a rival for Seb’s money and drugs.

How quickly had that dissipated in the face of her frown? 

“You’ve been getting pointers from Sora, haven’t you?” You were torn from your reminiscing, eyes snapping back into focus as Kairi stiffened like she’d just been doused with cold water. Axel, oblivious to the sudden tension in the air, tugged on his hair-tie. “Tell that fucker he’s only allowed over if he stops that. God knows I need to be good at something in this family.” His feigned bitterness went unnoticed as you stared at Kairi, trying to catch her eye; for what exactly you had no idea, still reeling from the casual way Axel had brought Sora up. Sora, here. With Kairi. The Kairi that had broken his heart, the Kairi that you still caught him looking wistfully after when he thought nobody was looking. 

“You’ve been hanging out with Sora?” you asked hesitantly, wincing as the armchair leather squeaked under your legs once more. Axel had the sense of mind not to say a word. She looked defiantly at you, her mouth in a tense line. The frost was back in full force, barbed icicles pointed your way. You took her silence as acquiescence. “How long has this been going on?”

“It’s none of your business,” she snapped, and your temper flared.

“He’s one of my closest friends; I think it is my—”

“No, it’s not,” she said firmly, slowly rising to her feet. Axel’s eyes were narrowed as he glanced back and forth, his body coiled and ready to spring between the two of you. Her voice was low, calm, but you could hear the fury pressing relentlessly at whatever self-control she was exhibiting, a volcano about to erupt in a river of magma and fire. “Whatever’s happening right now is between me and him, and if he’s really one of your closest friends and,” her voice turned bitter and mocking, “you know him as much as you claim to, then maybe you should trust that he knows what he’s doing.”

You wanted to snap back, hiss at her that Sora was too kind, too warm, too forgiving for his own good and that maybe he needed someone else to decide what was right for him, but then your heart stuttered and you faltered as you met the bright green eyes trained warily on your face. Your anger left you like a slowly deflating balloon, and you felt yourself visibly wilt as the realization dawned on you. This was a mirror image of the fight you’d had with Riku, time and time again about the very boy whose house you were currently at. The hypocrisy left you stunned and silent, chewing unknowingly on your bottom lip with an anxious ferocity that was worming its way into your chest. 

Kairi was regarding you warily, her nails digging into the meat of her palms as she methodically tucked her thumb on the outside of her knuckles. When you spoke all you muttered was, “I’m going home”, your eyes dropping to the faded blue carpet. 

“Whoa, wait, just like that?” Axel leapt to his feet this time, wincing as he slammed a shin on the coffee table in his haste to get to you. His bit back his pain as he wobbled over, a vaguely frantic light in his eyes as they flicked restlessly across your face. “We’ve still got plans.”

You wanted to tell him you really weren’t interested, but his eyes were imploring you to stay, and it was enough to convince you to let a sad smile grace your lips as you shrugged. “That’s true. I could probably get some food anyway.”

“There we fucking go.” Relief swiftly unseated the surge of emotions bubbling in his throat and he slung an easy arm around your shoulders. He clapped a hand on your shoulder for emphasis, and then turned to look at Kairi, standing still as a statue as her hands, balled into fists moments early, now hung limply at her sides. She looked confused and on edge, still waiting for a fight that was never going to come. “I’ll be back later.”

There was no invitation, but she never expected one. Axel swept you out of the living room and into his car, humming a song you didn’t recognize as he turned the ignition. There were a few minutes when he fiddled with his phone, just short of poking his tongue out between his teeth as he chose a song. Your smile turned genuine as you watched him, wondering what was different about him. It took a while, but slowly you realized he seemed a little flustered; had been all day. You really didn’t know why since he was the one who invited you over in the first place, practically leaping at the opportunity the minute you told him you didn’t have an exam for your final period. 

“You good?” you asked, arching an eyebrow as he finally picked a song. Echoing guitar filled the car and your other eyebrow raised. “Seriously? Death Cab?”

“Roxas had an indie phase,” he replied defensively and you snorted.

“Sure. _Roxas_. I never would’ve pictured you listening to one guitar and a whole lot of whining,” you said with a chuckle and he smirked.

“Says the girl quoting The OC at me.”

“It’s more embarrassing that you even know where that’s from,” you said with a pointed look, and he shrugged, an easy roll of his shoulders.

“Summer’s hot,” was his only excuse, and you snorted again, tapping along to the beat. 

“So where are we going?”

He pulled out onto the street, humming along to the guitar. “Land of Dragons. Best Chinese food on the island.” Any retort you had about that qualifier withered on your tongue as he started to sing along, low and husky. “Cath…she stands with a well-intentioned man.”

Your head leaned against the window as you silently watched the scenery speed past, marvelling at how quickly a few months had passed by. Your stomach still squeezed nauseatingly tight whenever you thought about Riku leaving for university, despite his continued promises that he wasn’t that far away and he would visit when he could. Lord knows Axel made the trip often enough, especially during the past few months once his own exams had finished. His increased presence had been hard to balance what with family and Riku occupying most of your time, but you’d done your best to accommodate him. Riku, true to his word, never said anything about the matter, but you’d seen the way his eyes would narrow, the white of his knuckles, and the sharp, downward slash of his mouth whenever he caught sight of Axel’s name on your phone. In return you hadn’t probed the issue, grateful for the peace no matter how tenuous it was. 

A hand tugged on the sleeve of your shirt, and you started. Axel was grinning, his teeth gleaming in the small space of the car. “Don’t act like you don’t know the words.”

“This really isn’t something to rock out to,” you protested, but he pushed insistently at you.

“Never stopped me and Roxas before.”

“Axel, how the hell am I supposed to wail on _Death Cab_.”

He laughed, eyes back on the road as his other hand prodded ceaselessly at your cheek as you sputtered and tried to push it away. “You’ll never know until you try.”

Throwing his head back and closing his eyes (as your heart leapt in fear; the man was driving, for fuck’s sake and two seconds was still two seconds too long), he shouted, “CATH! It seems it seems that you live in someone else's dream! In a hand-me-down wedding dress where the things that could have been are oppressed.”

He turned onto the heavily tree-lined streets inching into the cozy downtown area as guitar filtered through your open windows. June had brought forth a burst of colour, the brightness of the surrounding foliage breathtaking as drank in the blossoming flowers and the wide palm leaves gently waving at you in the wind. Your smile was spreading wide across your face as you took in a deep breath, feeling far more relaxed about the upcoming summer than you had in weeks. You let your hand drift outside the car window, lazily turning it around in the air as you felt the sun and wind brush your fingers.

You didn’t know it, but Axel was glancing at you, taking the few seconds he could between dutifully watching the road as he quietly sang, “You said your vows, and you closed the door…on so many men who would have loved you more.”

He whipped on a smile as you looked at him, laughter on your lips as you yelled, “And soon everybody will aaaaask what became of you!” He laughed along as your voice cracked, but you pushed on until he finally parked outside a non-descript building with a faded, flaking sign and an equally worn-down pair of Chinese dragon statues outside the main entrance. The AC barely worked, the lights were dim, and the booth was threadbare, but the food was some of the best you’d had. Axel only snickered once as you fumbled with your chopsticks, a little rusty from lack of practise.

Halfway through your lo mein you obnoxiously slurped up a noodle until he looked at you, and you set your chopsticks down. “Okay, spill.”

He looked like a deer caught in headlights, and you would’ve snickered at how strange it looked on his normally cool and collected face, if not for the worry gnawing at the back of your mind. “Huh?” 

“You’ve been jiggling your knee like, non-stop since we’ve been here.” You paused and wiped your mouth with your napkin, trying to figure out how to phrase what you’d been turning over in your mind for the past ten minutes. “I know it’s hard for you to get stuck in the middle of me and Kairi, and I appreciate you taking me out for food to get my mind off it, but you have every reason to lecture me for how I treated – _treat_ your sister. So. Go ahead,” you finished lamely, sheepishly sinking lower into your seat.

Axel was looking at you, a little calmer and infinitely more collected than he had been since the two of you left his house. You braced yourself as he opened his mouth, ready for the stream of disappointment and reprimands, but instead all he said was, “That’s not it,” and then he pushed himself up from the table. “I’m going for a smoke.” 

You watched him walk away, the worry now tenfold and making good work of clawing its way into your stomach. You had no idea what was going on with him now, having been convinced that he was thinking of the best way to very kindly tell you to stop speaking to his sister like she was trash. Something, you grudgingly admitted, you should probably stop doing regardless if he told you to or not. Hypocrisy wasn’t a good look on anyone. 

By the time he came back, cigarette smoke clinging to his clothes, you’d been reduced to poking aimlessly at your food. He sat heavily in the booth with a sigh, and although your mouth tasted like ash, he looked more like himself than before, and it somehow settled your nerves a bit. You smiled faintly at him, linking your fingers together and resting your chin on top in what you hoped was an endearing gesture, and he sighed, the fondness lingering in the lines of his smile taking you by surprise.

“You’re going to fucking kill me,” he said quietly, leaning towards you all the same as he propped his chin in his hand. “Look, I’m only going to say this because if I don’t, I’m probably going to regret it. And I could say some bullshit about carpe diem and the laws of nature again,” you rolled your eyes, “but I like you.”

Wait.

Wait a second.

Your brain scrambled to try and catch up, and you blinked furiously as if you didn’t believe it was him sitting across from you, staring at you with such intensity you couldn’t look away; your hands dropped heavily to the table as you tried to process what the hell just happened.

“…Jesus, I sound like a fucking twelve-year-old.” He carded a hand through his hair as he sighed again. “I’m not trying to fuck anything up.”

He paused.

“Much.”

He laughed a little, and gently poked your nose. “You’ve got your boytoy and I don’t feel like getting my ass kicked by him and his tiny friends any time soon. I just wanted to let you know.”

The finger grazing your nose trailed down to skirt around your lips before resting lightly underneath your chin as he gently closed your mouth with a smirk. “It’s weird for me too, man, but if you keep looking at me like that, I’m probably going to kiss you and fuck this whole thing up.”

You jerked out of his touch, not sure if he looked amused or annoyed by your reaction. Your brain felt like it was in a feedback loop of static as you stared at the plastic tablecloth, wondering where to go from here. Luckily, he made the decision for the two of, quietly asking for take-out containers; he shoved the Styrofoam container across the table at you, pulling out his wallet to pay. Panic flared inside your gut and you hastily slapped down some munny, forcing yourself to look him in the eye. 

“You…you don’t have to pay for me.” The implication lay heavy in the air, and he laughed a little bitterly.

“Got it.” He leaned back and crossed his arms, looking in the direction of the kitchen. “If it makes you feel any better, I never assumed this was a date.” He spat the word out and you flinched, ashamed. How many times had the two of you gone out for food before? This shouldn’t be any different. He’d made it clear he didn’t want it to be any different. 

But it was.

You trailed a good foot behind him back to his car, spent the ride back to your house pressed up against the door, the tension palpable between the two of you. You wanted to scramble out as soon as he pulled up to your driveway, but you knew he deserved better than that. You swallowed thickly and turned to hesitantly look at him, and instantly felt about ten times worse.

Axel wasn’t easy to read at the best of times; god knows you never knew he had a thing for you, his cool demeanour around you going hand in hand with his flirtatious tendencies. You’d seen him in the background of the snapchats Cloud sent Roxas and Sora, a pretty girl tight against his side as he lidded his eyes just so, tilted his head slightly, and whispered something that had every single one of them widely smiling as they clutched at the front of his shirt. He’d always seemed so removed with you; distant, even. Like he was treading the line between joking and being serious, but never pushing to the point you became uncomfortable or suspicious.

Right now, he looked miles away, his face closed off. He was an impenetrable fortress made of cold emerald, his gritted jaw and frown the reverberating slam of the front doors. He had his leg up, elbow resting on the torn knee of his jeans as he stared apathetically straight ahead. You didn’t know if you were glad or not that he wasn’t bothering to look at you. “Guess this is it then,” he said quietly, and began idly picking at the forever chapped skin of his lips.

You looked down at your palms, chest tight as you fought your way through your muddled thoughts, scrambling for some sort of answer for what to say or do; anything, really to make sure you didn’t lose the boy beside you. Then your heart squeezed and you slowly lifted your head, the smallest pinprick of clarity illuminating the murky path before you. 

“Nah,” you whispered just as quietly, slowly turning to look at him. “We’re still friends. You’ll always be my friend.” He looked like you were pinning him to the seat with your eyes, but the relief poured forth anyway like a wave rushing to shore.

“You’ve been spending too much time with Sora.”

“Hey!” You pouted as he laughed, nervously twiddling your thumbs as he quieted down. “I mean, it’s going to be a little weird. But I get why you told me, and I guess…thank you.”

He went back to picking at his mouth. “For what?”

“For telling me and,” you fumbled for the words for a moment, eyes darting towards Riku’s front door, “for not being a total dick about it. You could’ve been, but you weren’t and I appreciate that.” You chuckled, feeling more light-hearted than you had a moment ago. “ _Riku_ appreciates that.”

Axel snorted. “Yeah, I bet he does.” He held out a loose fist and you bumped your own against it, the two of you at ease once more. “Have fun at the bonfire tonight. Don’t get in trouble.”

You rolled your eyes as you got out of the car. “It’s just a bunch of drunk, hormonal teenagers on an isolated beach together. What could possibly go wrong?”

~*~

“Wait, Roxas…how exactly did you get a cherry bomb down a toilet?”

“Dedication.”

“No, but seriously.” You paused to take a sip of your beer. “Like wouldn’t the water get it wet first? And you can’t even wrap it up in anything because that won’t work, so…”

Roxas shook his head minutely. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just one of life’s little mysteries.” He turned to snap a snarky retort at something Hayner said, leaving your curiosity unsatisfied as you tried to figure out how on Earth he managed to be a destructive demon on an impossible level.

“Guys, LOOK!” Sora stumbled to stop in front of you and Riku, a wide grin on his face as he just about shoved whipped cream up your noses. You nearly went cross-eyed as you looked at the whole tray of jello shots Sora had liberated from a very distressed Olette, the colours muted in the flickering light of the fire. He immediately shoved two into each of your hands, tapping them all together in a squashy ‘cheers!’ as he proceeded to scarf down as many as he could.

“Chill, Sora, they’re not going anywhere,” Riku said with a laugh, popping one in his mouth. Sora gave him a cursory glance, cheeks stuffed full of cherry jello.

“It’s your last bonfire with us, and the first time ever you decided it would be a great idea to DD. I have to get drunk for the two of us now.” He slurped up another shot, eyebrows knitting together as he waited for his friend’s response.

“I can leave your sorry ass on the beach, you know. Or just call Rina at 2am and tell her that her ‘sweet summer child’ is shitfaced at a party she didn’t know was going to have booze and then you can spend the rest of your summer grounded,” Riku said with a wicked smile, taking a pointed drink of his Gatorade.

Sora grumbled, trying weakly to argue once more with, “We coulda just walked back home like we always do.”

“Nah. That takes too long.” Riku looked down at you, his lips curving upwards as he watched trying to wipe whipped cream off your nose as Sora pushed a few more shots in your directions. Ever since you mentioned the lighthouse a few months back, he’d been planning the night out to the tee, even going so far as to stow away a few blankets and some snacks in the trunk of his car tonight. He wasn’t naïve. He knew spending the summer apart before he left for university wasn’t ideal; he knew cramming a few hours alone before sunrise wasn’t ideal either, but his remaining free time on the islands was limited and he wanted to make the most of it. 

If Tidus found out, he’d never let him live it down, but he hadn’t and his drunkenly yelled “PUSSY” at Riku every time he stumbled past was only accompanied with an accusing finger pointed at his drink. Riku was torn from his musings as you guffawed, Sora having completely missed his face and smearing a shot across his cheek where it dribbled uselessly onto the sand below. You missed Sora’s guilty glance at Riku, a blush flaring across his cheeks as he laughed uncomfortably along with you, a finger scratching at his nose. You missed Riku turning to look at what had distracted his best friend just beyond your shoulders, and the uncomfortable silence that swelled as he met Kairi’s eyes before she quickly looked away.

Sora was digging his toes into the sand, letting you carefully pour water onto his sticky hands even as he babbled that he could just go wash off in the ocean. 

“What’s that about?” Riku tried to keep his voice calm, but he couldn’t hide the hard edge that crept into his voice. Sora was wiping uselessly at his cheek with his damp hands, grimacing as he hit a particularly resistant patch of stickiness.

“What’s what about,” he mumbled, petulant. 

Riku took in a deep breath, willing himself to temper the pangs of…something in his chest as he looked at the smaller boy who still had yet to meet his eyes. “When were you going to tell me that you were talking to her again?” 

Sora rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, chin rising defiantly as he finally looked Riku in the eye. “I don’t have to tell you everything I do.”

“I think you do when it’s about our old best friend that fucked around with both of us.”

“Guys…” You wound a careful hand through Riku’s, squeezing lightly to try and calm him down. Riku inhaled sharply and willed himself to keep his voice down. Just over Sora’s right ear he could see Rai and Fuu looking over at your tiny group, craning their necks inconspicuously. 

Riku ran a hand down his face and muttered, “We never talk anymore.”

Whatever reaction he’d been expecting, it wasn’t Sora barking out in a laugh, loud and sarcastic as his hold on himself tightened. “We never see each other anymore.”

Riku frowned, ignoring your insistent hands as you tried to guide the two of them further away from the crowd. “You could text me or something.” 

“Because you’ve been so good at that lately?” Sora finally unwound himself, throwing his hands up in the air, palms to the sky in a desperate bid to lay everything out between them. “We haven’t hung out in weeks. _Weeks_. It’s like we don’t even live in the same town anymore.”

“Sora, I’ve been busy—” 

“And not just us,” Sora continued, jabbing a finger into his palm. “You’ve been bailing on practise so much we moved it to my house and you didn’t even notice. We’ve done this almost every single weekend since we were fourteen, and _you didn’t even notice._ ”

Riku’s eyes were wide, his mouth agape, Sora’s own face firm and set in complete contrast. You felt unease winding its way through your limbs and you slowly shuffled backwards, trying to make an excuse for why you had to leave, but Riku’s hand tightened on yours and kept you tethered there, an unwilling anchor to an argument you felt responsible for.

“It’s just different when you’re dating someone.” Riku’s thumb brushed along your knuckles, but you didn’t get any comfort from it.

Sora started to slump, his hands slowly falling back to his sides as his anger began to fizzle. “Is it? I saw you more last year when we were both dating Kairi. I told you, you know.” Sora took in a shaky breath, and you felt pained when you saw his anger slip into sadness, his voice tightening. “I told you months ago I was scared we were drifting apart and you didn’t do anything about it.”

“I really shouldn’t be here.” You forcefully extricated yourself from Riku’s grip, ignoring his silent, but plaintive, plea for you to stay as you edged away. Overwhelming guilt was rising inside you, fear that you’d compromised a friendship deeper than any you’d ever had weighing heavy on your soul. 

“No, it’s not you. It’s not—” Sora growled and rubbed the heels on his hands against his eyes. His fingers caught the hem of your shirt before you could walk away, forcing you to look into his red-rimmed eyes. 

“Sora…”

“It’s not your fault,” he repeated firmly, lips cracking into a small smile that only managed to send a small ray of relief through your body. “Just give us a minute, okay?”

You nodded numbly, barely feeling your feet beneath you as you stumbled over to where Roxas was sitting with his friends, everybody’s eyes trained on Sora and Riku as they walked away to the edge of the circle of light. “Yikes,” Roxas muttered, and Hayner let out a low whistle in agreement.

“Yeah. Yikes,” you repeated softly, sighing as you sat heavily on the log beside him. Roxas wound an arm around your shoulders, gently jostling you. 

“It’s not your fault.”

“Sora already told me that,” you said wanly. 

Roxas shook you again until you looked at him, snatching Hayner’s new drink out of his hands (“HEY!”) and passing it to you. “Well he’s telling the truth. Whatever beef they have is between them and what they’ve done, so don’t fucking stress about it. Riku’s always been a ‘laser focus’ kind of guy about everything, and this was probably a long time coming.”

You popped the tab of the Smirnoff cooler (“Really, Hayner?” “Don’t fucking start with me. They’re delicious.”) and did your best to keep from looking to the side. 

Closer to the water just out of reach of the crackling warmth of the bonfire, Sora was staring his best friend down with his arms crossed again. The two had remained silent up to their chosen destination, and now that they were squaring off again Sora had a bone to pick.

“First off, you better apologize to your girl later about dragging her into this, because using your relationship as an excuse for why you’ve fallen off the face of the Earth is a shitty move and probably made her feel like crap,” he said, voice clipped. “Because we both know you’re perfectly capable of handling dating someone and hanging out with your friends without being a dick.”

Riku hummed, amused in spite of himself. “Yeah, alright. You got it, Sora.”

“Good.” Sora nodded decisively, and then his composure lessened every so slightly. “I don’t get it, ‘Ku. It’s like you’re spending all your time with her and staying with her and being around her, but it’s like it’s one-sided. Not like she doesn’t care about you like that,” he tacked on hastily, “but like you’re deliberately shutting everyone else out that isn’t her.

“When me and Roxas saw you at Traverse Mart? With Seifer? And then it took you so long to tell us what happened…it’s like you’re trying to deal with all this stuff on your own. And the party, man. That was fucked up.” Riku didn’t deny it, his fingers tensing around his drink as he fought the urge to fling it into the ocean. Lord knows that would only turn into another lecture from Sora about littering and damaging the Earth. “You never talk about what happened, and since then you’ve been spending every single second you have with her or alone and it just doesn’t make any…”

Sora’s voice trailed off and a look of realization dawned on his face; when Riku realized his best friend’s eyes were so wide he could see the reflection of the moon in them, Sora hissed, “This is about Axel, isn’t it? Christ, Riku, you can’t spend all your time with her just to make sure she’s not talking to him!”

Riku tried to school his features into anything other than a childish sulk, but failed miserably. “She hasn’t said anything about it, and it’s working. She never brings him up anymore.”

“Probably because you looked pissed off every time he came up!” Sora nearly shouted, reigning his voice in at the last second. “You’ve got the worst poker face in the world.”

“It’s fine,” Riku said curtly, cussing when he realized his drink was empty. “Besides, you’ve got your hands full of Kairi now so I don’t think you should be worrying about me.”

“Riku—”

“I’m thirsty.” Riku stalked past Sora, ignored the exasperated call, ignored the hand trying to catch his elbow. What did Sora know, anyway? He was running back to someone who’d hurt him before; all Riku was trying to do was protect you and him from getting hurt. He knew he promised you to try, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t allowed to have his suspicions. Besides, true to his word he’d bitten his tongue whenever Axel came up, not saying a thing despite the misgivings constantly looping through his head. 

“Hey,” you quickly rose to your feet, Pence’s “Never have I ever…” fading into the background as you quickly walked over to Riku. “Everything okay?”

“It’s fine,” Riku said, plucking your drink from your hand and taking a sip. He grimaced at the fruity flavour and you shrugged apologetically.

“It’s Hayyy…Olette’s. It’s Olette’s.” Riku arched an eyebrow at you as he snagged a water bottle, but you resolutely stared him down, trying to hide your smile. “You guys talk everything out?”

From behind you he could see Roxas staring at him, his eyes flickering between black and storm blue, about two seconds away from asking why his twin wasn’t here and why the fuck that was; he grabbed your hand and led you further away, not at all ready for that confrontation and the headache it would bring. 

“Kind of,” he answered cryptically, and you nudged him with your elbow, dissatisfied. “I was just pissed he didn’t tell me about him and Kairi.” It might not have been the exact truth, but it was as close as he was going to allow you get. 

You picked at the label on the bottle, fingers sliding across the condensation as you worried your lip between your teeth. Talk about a blow to the chest; your conscience was practically screaming at you right now. You shook off the sand from your feet, trying to gather your thoughts as you said, “I actually have something I need to tell you.”

“Hm?”

You ripped off a piece of paper and rolled it into a tiny ball, eyes darting between looking at it and Riku’s hands as you forced out, “It’s about Axel.”

The change was immediate, one of Riku’s hands shoving into his pockets as the other restlessly flipped his water bottle around. “…what about him.”

You were still struggling with how to relay what exactly had happened just hours before, when Riku asked, “Did he confess his undying love to you or something?” in a poor attempt at a joke, his levity forced and his chuckle empty. You tensed and didn’t say a word. “…holy shit.”

You didn’t know what you were expecting other than another raging fight sure to end in tears, but you definitely weren’t expecting him to start laughing, his relief palpable as he pushed his hair out of his face. You slowly looked up at him, baffled by how easily he’d accepted the news. “You’re not mad?”

“Are you kidding me? This is perfect,” he said, almost childishly giddy. “I fucking knew it. I totally called that fucking asshole. That’s it then, huh?”

You took an involuntary step back. “What?”

“You’re not seriously still going to be friends with him.”

“It’s not like that. He told me he doesn’t have any intention of doing anything about it, and we have mutual friends and—”

Riku’s smile was slipping, his eyes were getting cold, and his voice was getting hard as he asked, “What is it about this guy? Seriously? What does he do that’s so important, so special that you can’t imagine your life without him?”

You shrugged helplessly, trying to will back your tears as your desperation to try and make him understand clogged your throat. “He’s my friend.”

His eyes were dark in the shadows, fierce and cutting as he frowned. “I want this to work, but I can’t keep being the only person that’s making sacrifices here.”

“Sacrifices? What sacrifices?”

“I chose HBU for you. Over Spira and Midgar and they were offering me way more money than HBU.”

You felt like you’d been slapped, gritting your teeth as you stood taller. “DON’T put that on me. I didn’t force you to go to a school near me. I didn’t make you give up those scholarships.”

“What was I supposed to do? Pray we make it long distance? Wait until the holidays for you to dump me so you can run off with Axel a week later?”

“Why is it always about Axel?! You said that you were fine with us being friends.”

“I did, but—“

“Then act like it!”

He let it a strangled yell. 

“But you guys— you—“

“What, Riku?” Your eyes were bordering on wild, a humourless smile on your face. “What about us? Is that we fucked?” He flinched at the crude chill in your voice. “Is that it? It was over a year ago and nothing else has happened since.”

His temper flared. He was in the right on this one, he was sure of it. His mind was scrambling to compile the evidence he’d brushed to the side, but they were slipping through his fingers. “Considering the shit you used to do I wouldn’t be surprised if something had happened.” 

Your mouth slammed shut and you began to cry, angrily brushing at your cheeks, the sand gritty against your skin. “That was low. I told you those things because I trust you; because I thought you’d understand.” 

“Sure, I understand that you didn’t care if you cheated on your ex-boyfriend with the guy who wrote a song about how he’s in love with you,” Riku scoffed, squeezing the bottle in his hand.

“Tidus writes songs about me all the time-“ 

“Yeah, but Tidus doesn’t wanna fuck you.” 

Your entire body was shaking, your mind reeling as you fought for some semblance of coherency, but the words wouldn’t come. The only thought that made it through the haze your rage and drinking had lent you was that you didn’t want to talk to him, let alone see him right now. Resolute, you stormed around him, throwing your drink into the trash as he trailed after you stomping across the beach. 

“Axel isn’t a good person. Do you think he’s going to care if he ruins what we have? Do you really think he’s changed that much from the asshole he used to be that cheated and lied as long as he got what he wanted?” He was still talking, voice nearly breathless with how much he had to say, and you couldn’t get away from him fast enough. 

“I didn’t cheat on Seb because it was Axel,” you ground out, stepping onto the boardwalk and marching across it to the street. “I did it because…because it hurt, to be pushed to the side and isolated, and it was lonely, Riku. It was the worst feeling in the world to know that no matter how many people were around me they all acted like I didn’t exist.” You whirled around to look at him, cheeks hot and a little pleased that it made him stumble, albeit momentarily.

“You’ve cheated with him before. What’s going to stop you from doing it again?” 

You tripped over your own feet, his words knocking the wind out of you. He reached for you, but you flinched away. “ _I’ve_ changed, Riku, no matter how much you think I haven’t. I’m not the kind of person that would hurt someone else like that; that would even let that be a possibility. I would never ever lead you on, I would never lie to you or break your trust. …I’m going home,” you whispered, voice thick with tears.

“Come on—”

“I’m not staying here so you can talk shit about the worst parts of me,” you spat out. Riku recoiled, watching your shoulders shake as you fought to regain control of your emotions. He held out a hesitant hand, letting it hover over your lower back as he pulled his car keys out.

“At least let me drive you home. Your shoes are still in my car.” The apology was clear in his voice, but dimly you realized it was too little too late. In spite of that your legs were aching, your vision blurry, and the thought of walking home alone at the late hour was less than appealing. You quietly followed him to his car, the air heavy as he turned the ignition.

You finally cleared your throat as he was pulling out of the parking lot, voice small as you huddled in your seat. “So then what do we do? I’m not going to stop being friends with someone because you can’t trust me. I...I can’t.” You inhaled shakily. “And I can’t be with someone who’s going to take the worst parts of me and never let them go. I’ve changed, Riku. I promise you. I’ve been promising you for weeks and I just need to know if you’re ever going to trust me.” 

His eyes were trained on the road before him. “I don’t trust him.” 

“That’s not an answer.” 

“He just wants to use you until he gets what he wants.” 

You sobbed then, the sound raw and rough in the quiet of the car. “Why is it so hard for you to believe that I can be friends with him? Are you seriously telling me right now that you think a guy can’t be friends with me without having some sort of ulterior motive? What kind of person do you think I am? Like do you really think for one second that I’d cheat on you?” 

“What do you want, then?”

You curled up on the seat, burying your face into your knees as you sniffled. “I just…want to be alone right now.”

He wanted to be patient and understanding, but he didn’t want to lose his nerve. “You can’t just ignore something like this.”

“Why not? You’ve done it before,” you flung back.

He groaned, fists tightening on the steering wheel as he hit a red light. “I just need you to trust me right now.”

“Trust you?” You head popped up as you regarded him with no small amount of incredulity in your eyes. “You want me to trust you right now? You lied about being okay with me being friends with Axel, you lied about why you wanted to go to HBU, and you lied about trusting _me_. Stop flattering yourself; why should I believe anything you have to say to me anymore?”

“Because—” Riku was short of pulling his hair out as his mind pinwheeled, desperation and anger clashing as he struggled for what to say; he felt like he was grasping at straws, his words slipping through his fingers as he stared at the mocking 1:19 flashing on his dashboard. His chest fit to burst, his throat dry, he opened his mouth and said, “—because I love you!”

So much for the lighthouse.

You looked like he’d just slapped you across the face. “What? What did you just say?” The light turned green, but neither of you moved. He braced himself, wondering why that had been what came out of his mouth. At this point he didn’t know if he wanted you to reciprocate, or cry, or tell him to go away, but anything would be better than this unbearable silence.

The light flicked back to yellow, then red. Your voice was soft, but it echoed like you were screaming into his ear. “Are you fucking serious? You’re saying that right now? In the middle of a fight we’ve been have pretty much since we started dating?” You tugged futilely at the seatbelt crossing your chest, trying to lessen the pressure in your chest. “What’s your game plan here, exactly? Tell me that and I’ll just magically forget everything else?”

The light turned green again and Riku had the presence of mind to drive this time, his knuckles white. “Are you say you don’t feel the same?”

“No! I... I do.” He let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “I do, Riku I really do, but we can’t pretend saying...’that’ is going to magically fix everything. It doesn’t matter how much we care about each other if we keep fighting about the same thing.”

Silence crept back in, curling along the seats and coiling across the dashboard. It filled every gap that was left by the hovering ‘I love you’, which hung ominous above your heads. Your houses came into view sooner than he expected, the rest of the drive passing in a daze as Riku snuck glances at you, and you stared out the window. He wanted to take your hand, but his body felt like it was made of stone, a tomb filled with flowers fated to die.

Riku brought the car to a halt, braking jerkily as he tried not to tremble. “What do we do?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you—” 

“Stop asking me what to do because I don’t know how to fix this.” You were sniffling again, eyes glossy with tears that were spilling unchecked down your face. His mouth was dry.

“What’re you saying?”

“I don’t think it’s fixable. I don’t think we can—” 

“Oh.” He felt like he was watching this happen from somewhere else, from the depths of a long tunnel where all he could see was the steady drip of teardrops falling from your chin. He tore his eyes away and stared at the grainy texture of his steering wheel, wondering if it’d always looked so blurred and faded when something splashed on the vinyl. He stared unthinkingly at the small drop, watching distantly as another two joined it. _Oh._

Somehow, he spoke, voice mechanical as he said, “Well. I have my externship all summer so maybe this is a good thing. …Is this what you want?”

Riku chanced a look your way and his heart broke. You were staring straight ahead, but you looked exhausted as you practically molded yourself to the seat. You were still crying, nose stuffed and eyes red rimmed as you clumsily wiped at the underside of your chin. You couldn’t even look at him, voice faltering. 

“I don’t know. I think so; it just hurts too much.” 

He gave in and wound his fingers around yours, clinging to them like a lifeline, trying one last time to convey every unsaid ‘I love you’ he wished he’d told you. Hesitant at first, he bridged the gap and pressed a trembling kiss to the corner of your mouth, your tears wet against his lips. He exhaled and whispered, “I lo—”

You abruptly looked away and the words died on his tongue as you let yourself out. He watched you trudge up the driveway, shoes untied with the laces trailing behind you. You paused at your front door and his heart leapt into his throat. You didn’t go racing back to his arms, nor did you silently tell him you loved him like he hoped. Instead you forced a smile and raised a weak hand, waving once, twice, and then disappearing inside. 

He didn’t remember going inside. He didn’t remember collapsing into his bed. He would vehemently deny crying until he fell asleep, but if he woke and his eyes were still red and puffy, nobody needed to know why except for him. He slept all day, phone dead, oblivious to the torrent of texts and calls that had dogged him since he’d driven away from the beach the night before.

He didn’t know that the three boys had stumbled around for an extra hour after he left, yelling his name. He didn’t know that Sora had thrown up twice in the garbage, far too drunk too be doing a search and rescue, but struggling through it anyway because he thought Riku was mad at him. He didn’t know that Roxas had been forced to call Axel until he woke him up to come pick them up. He didn’t know that Roxas had stared at Axel the entire ride home, with an intensity that made the older boy squirm uncomfortably in his seat as Sora drunkenly lamented that it seemed you and Riku were having problems.

Nor did he know that Tidus had finally admitted that Axel’s music wasn’t “that shitty”, and groused loudly and drunkenly that Sora was wrong and Riku had probably run off with you for another “love-fest”, a statement that made something inside Axel curdle bitterly.

For the first three days of summer vacation Riku stayed holed up in his room, emerging only to grab the occasional snack or drink before burying himself back under a comforter that needed a good washing, the fan on and the curtains drawn as he drifted along to Such Great Heights. He was halfway through The Blower’s Daughter when he registered something that didn’t sound like Damien Rice. He fumbled with a headphone and popped it out, and then he heard it again, drifting through his open bedroom door.

He peeled himself out of bed and shuffled to the window at the end of the hall, and sure enough there Tidus, Roxas, and Sora were standing on the driveway below, Tidus’s face red as he screamed,

“RIIIIKUUUUUU.”

After about two more of these, Riku’s mother finally opened the front door, barely disguising her mirth as she told him that he was more than welcome to try knocking on the door to see if someone was home instead of screeching through a window like he was in The Graduate.

“Sorry, Mitsuki,” Sora said with a sheepish grin. Roxas was smacking his ears, grumbling about them never working again as Tidus hacked and tried to clear his sore throat. With poorly whispered promises that they would find out what was wrong with her son, they trampled up the stairs like a herd of elephants. Riku was buried back under his blankets, but that safe haven was swiftly torn from him as Roxas wrinkled a nose.

“Gross. When did you last shower?” 

Sora flung open the curtains and cranked the window open, muttering something about airing out the room even as the fan dutifully did its job from the corner. 

“Listen man, I didn’t mean what I sent you about being kicked out of the band,” Tidus rushed out in one breath, bouncing slightly as he all but threw himself onto the end of the bed. Riku cursed and half-heartedly tried to shove him off it. Tidus just rolled onto his legs, pinning them beneath his stomach as he continued. “But you bailing on us when you were our ride home? Dick move. Major dick move.”

“Yeah thanks for that,” Roxas snorted, poking at the bookshelf. “I owe Axel Tiana’s now thanks to your ass-fuckery.”

Something sparked in Riku and he lurched upright. Tidus was flung off, but despite his dethroning he still managed to laugh at the nest of hair atop Riku’s head. He fell to the wayside as Riku glowered at Roxas, teeth bared. “Don’t fucking talk about that guy,” he snarled, green venom catching startled blue. 

But Roxas wasn’t one to back down from a fight. “Why not? I’ll talk about whoever the fuck I want.”

Riku lunged and Sora shouted, but Roxas didn’t move as Riku grabbed him by the front of his shirt, yanking him up until they were face to face. Tidus had wrapped himself around one of Riku’s legs, clutching onto it for all he was worth like it would change a thing. “It’s your fault for introducing them you fucking jackass—”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you need to back the fuck up,” Roxas hissed, grimacing as he added, “Your breath _reeks_.” 

Riku started shaking the younger boy until Sora wrapped a firm arm around his middle and tried to drag him back, Tidus grabbing at an arm as Roxas stared at the three of them, impassive. Riku pushed Roxas away, sending him stumbling backwards into the bookshelf he’d been examining, a few tomes falling to the ground. “Fucking AXEL. You and that stupid douchebag made everything turn to shit and you don’t even fucking care that you ruined everything. You don’t give two shits about it because at least you helped your buddy get the girl, right?” 

Mitsuki appeared at the door, hovering just outside with her mouth open, but Sora quickly shook his head and her jaw clicked shut. She didn’t stray far, warily eyeing her son as he pushed Roxas again once he got into reach even as Tidus yelled at him to stop.

Riku was seething, tearing his arm out of Tidus’s grasp and shoving Roxas again, so hard that this time there was an audible crack as he slammed into the bookshelf. “ _Say something, asshole_.”

_CRACK._

Roxas was breathing heavily, fist clenched as Riku clutched at his jaw, Sora shouting “what the _fuck_ , Rox” as Tidus lurched backwards, eyes wide. Mitsuki flew to her son’s side, hand cupping his as her eyes flashed under her glasses.

“Roxas. Out.”

Roxas shoved his hands in his pockets, bitterly muttering, “You didn’t give two shits when he was coming at me,” under his breath as he stormed out, Tidus having the presence of mind to go tearing after him. Riku worked his jaw, waving his mother away as she told him she was going to get some ice, and sat heavily on his bed. 

“…you want to tell me what’s going on?” Sora asked quietly, sitting beside him as Riku nursed his injury. 

He thought about it for a moment. About letting everything inside him out, about baring his pain and hurt and letting someone shoulder the burden with him, but the overwhelming guilt that he was going to drag Sora into this outweighed it. Sora, who had just a few nights ago told Riku he wasn’t there for him. Sora, who hadn’t received any sort of closure of comfort from Riku, or any sort of changed behaviour; Sora, who was sitting here now ready to listen and help and heal…and Riku felt sick.

“I gotta shower.” Riku brushed past the outstretched hand and lost himself in the steady stream of water, the steam alleviating the ache in his bones and his jaw as he took his time washing away the sweat and grime of his last three days. He didn’t expect Sora to be waiting for him when he returned, but it stung all the same to walk into his empty room. He hesitated for a stomach-churning ten seconds and then grabbed his bass, shoving his notebook in the case as he walked downstairs.

Mitsuki didn’t want him to go. His mother looked about near tears herself as she asked what was wrong and was only met with silence, but he placated her with a kiss on the cheek and a promise to be back for dinner before he headed out.

The walk to the Strife house was longer than he remembered, his feet dragging as each step closer brought with it a sense of dread, one that only compounded when he saw the open garage door and heard the voices drifting through the air stop once they caught sight of him.

“You’re just asking to get fucked up today, huh?” Roxas said, his voice sharp as he squared his shoulders. 

Sora tensed. “Roxas…”

“Nah, your boy better have a great fucking reason for coming at me like that or I’ll kerb stomp him.” 

Riku sank into a lawn chair like nothing had happened, rifling through his case to get his notebook. “I’m going through some shit.”

“That’s not an excuse, asshat,” Roxas sneered, stepping around his drumkit.

Riku found what he was looking for and slapped it against Tidus’s chest, smirking a little at the “oof” that left his friend’s lips from the force. “I know.”

Roxas’s gaze didn’t falter, his upper lip still curled. “Do better.”

“…I’m…sorry.” If Roxas looked surprised by the apology, he hid it well. “I was being a dick. This morning and the other night.”

“Okay…” Tidus said slowly, staring at the notebook with both hands. “But that doesn’t explain why you were being a dick.”

“I know,” Riku sighed, throat tight. For all the conflicting feelings raging through his mind right now, he felt hollow, like someone had reached inside him and scooped out his heart; they’d left his chest cavity clean, spotless, not even allowing him the dignity of being able to show people how thoroughly he’d been eviscerated. Pain was easy to prove when it was accompanied with blood and tears, but he had nothing left to give anymore. His eyes met Sora’s, and he almost couldn’t speak when he saw the wary and grudging expression on the other’s face. “…but I’ve been a dick for a while, and I’m…sorry about that too.”

Tidus nodded slowly, not fully understanding; he was somehow aware that this was extending past the missed calls, missed practises, and being abandoned on the beach, but not privy to the finer details – something he wasn’t going to complain about. This seemed out of his depth. He busied himself with flipping through the notebook, eyebrows raising when he saw the scrawled, scribbled song at the end.

“Jesus, who hurt you?”

“Let’s just play.”

Sora’s eyes narrowed and he looked thoughtfully at his phone, blindly accepting the sheet Tidus handed him. “Where’s (Name)?” 

“…let’s just play.”

The air was subdued, but tense. Riku could feeling the curious looks shot his way as they rehearsed, could feel the unanswered questions building up between them in quiet comments that this song was kind of dark, and that he’d never written anything like this before. He never replied, instead focussing on how the stiffness in his fingers was lessening with each passing moment, in how much he’d missed being able to do this, in how it’d been so long since he’d played, but he hadn’t even noticed.

“Hey, uh…Ri?” Tidus asked timidly. “You got any lyrics?”

He inhaled sharply, blinking away the pressure behind his eyes. “Yeah.” He slowly breathed in then out, taking his time to steady his nerves. “I’ll sing.”

“…okay.”

Roxas’s count-in was barely audible above the blood rushing in his ears, the drums starting up barely registering as he automatically began to play. Tidus was just a hair of a beat behind, but Riku didn’t care as he started to sing. 

“ _Well, the morning was complete when there was tears on the steering wheel, dripping on the seat_.” Singing wasn’t something he indulged in often, and it was emphasized by how wobbly his voice was. At least, that’s what he would blame it on. “ _Several hours or several weeks…I'd have the cheek to say they're equally as bleak._ ”

Riku knew without looking that Sora and Tidus were exchanging a look as his best friend smoothly joined in, and he almost wanted to start laughing. In his fit of rage and sorrow induced inspiration, he’d tried to make the guitars sound like your arguing voices, your sobs still echoing ghost-like in his mind during the late hours he’d laid in bed. Instead, with the hesitation and confusion and concern that laced them, they sounded ridiculous. Weak. This wasn’t helping him how he’d hoped, and he regretted coming by at all.

“ _It's the beginning of the end: the car went up the hill and disappeared around the bend. Ask anyone, they'll tell you that it's these times that it tends to start to break in half, to start to fall apart. Hold on to your heart._ ” He curled over his bass as Sora broke away, fingers sure as finally, finally the melody curled around the broken seam where his heart used to be and slowly stitched it shut.

“ _And do me a favor, and break my nose! Or do me a favor, and tell me to go away. Or do me a favor, and stop asking questions…_ ”

Riku looked up, but not at any of them, hands falling listlessly to the side as he stared at the far wall. His hands barely drifted up in time to play a single note as he sang, “ _She walked away while her shoes were untied and the eyes were all red; you could see that we'd cried. And I watched, and I waited till she was inside…forcing a smile and waving goodbye._ ”

He took in a trembling breath. Why had he pushed it so hard?

“ _Curiosity becomes a heavy load; too heavy to hold, too heavy to hold. Curiosity becomes a heavy load…too heavy to hold, will force you to be cold._ ”

He caught the edge of a distressed blue stare in his peripheral, but he determinedly brushed past it, eyes resting easily on Roxas as he threw himself into the music, head banging along as he slammed his sticks onto his drums, the cymbals clashing loudly and rattling every nerve in Riku’s body. What he wouldn’t give to be able to rage and scream right now. For a second he was nearly overcome with the impulse to smash his bass into the ground, wrecking the instrument beyond repair. What a clever bookend it would be, destroying what had brought you two together.

“ _Do me a favor and ask if you need some help. She said, ‘Do me a favor, and stop flattering yourself’, and to tear apart the ties that bind. Perhaps 'fuck off' might be too kind? Perhaps 'fuck off' might be too kind…_ ”

Roxas let his sticks clatter uselessly to the floor, and Sora cut off his guitar with a squeal as Tidus burst out, “What the fuck was that?”

Riku knew they were all looking at him for answers, but right now he felt very small, very tired, and very drained and he didn’t know how else to tell them what they already knew. Instead of explaining or brushing them off with a witty remark, he let his bass slip from unsteady fingers, covered his face in his hands, and cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter right here is the whole reason I kept coming back to this story. I've always had a crystal clear picture of how exactly I wanted the fight to go down, and apparently angst is the best motivator in the world; to the point where this is probably the longest chapter in the story thus far, because I Like Making Riku Hurt.
> 
> **BONUS CONTENT**
> 
> Here are the songs I used throughout the chapter! Let me know if you'd prefer hyperlinks in the moment for that real deal in the moment business, or if you'd prefer it at the end to avoid breaking up the flow of the story. :)
> 
> [Sora's Beach Boys jam sesh](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHNcMs8W660)
> 
> [Axel's indie music choice.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY1ahFCYT5k)
> 
> [ Riku's mopey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIq_KLMvIY8) [ pity party](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YXVMCHG-Nk)
> 
> [ Check out this adorable tumblr because this is the reason why Sora's still a giant nerd for Neopets](https://liverpepper.tumblr.com/post/101062648516/roxas-soras-had-an-account-for-years-now-and)
> 
>  
> 
> Music headcanons are that Sora's all about the oldies but goodies  
> Roxas is all over the place and just listens to whatever he can headbang to; he and Axel are constantly sending new and old music to each other  
> Tidus listens to an embarrassing amount of R&B and hip hop and probably owned a fedora at some point, but now just rocks Timbs year. Round.  
> Riku listens less frequently than the rest of them, but my god. When the boy is in a mood it's like he's making the soundtrack to his own soap opera


	18. Perfect Situation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Song here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwv-iRvyDZg)

**I just heard**

**I’m sorry**

You stared blankly at your phone, dimly aware that Sora probably meant to be consolatory with the gif he sent of Stitch sniffling in the rain, but right now it just made you feel like laughing. You should be glad that you were finally feeling something outside of phantom pains as your heart squeezed, but manic laughter didn’t seem like too much of a step from that. You tossed your phone carelessly to the side, staring blankly at the tv once more as Ryan raced up the stairs to where Marissa was waiting, the countdown to midnight driving him forward. You sighed pathetically when he made it upstairs, meeting her under a shower of confetti as you pulled a face of disgust.

Ugh. Happiness. Who needed it?

You changed channels before they kissed, relaxing once you saw Bridget Jones in a similar state of dress as you as she watched tv. Your phone buzzed again.

**New message: Sora  
You wanna hang out?**

Your heart leapt pitifully at that, but you couldn’t help but admit that seeing Sora right now would probably cheer you up. Especially if you refrained from asking how Riku was doing, because even though you desperately wanted to know, it would only serve to make your own moping worse.

**New message: Sora  
Can’t tonight tho but maybe tomorrow?**

The hope that glimmered in your eyes swiftly retreated as you put two and two together. Of course, he was with Riku right now. How else would he have found out? You instantly felt restless, some illogical part of your mind screaming that if Riku was allowed to be out having fun with his friends, you were allowed to too. You decided to reply to Sora later, scrolling frantically through your phone for a name, any name that wasn’t male and attached to this situation.

That’s how you wound up getting bubble tea with Olette and Pence, the former surprised you’d reached out and the latter maybe a little miffed that you’d unknowingly intruded on their time together. Any conversation directed at you and your summer you quickly deflected, sidestepping queries about how you and Riku were going to do long-distance. Sure, school might be out, but you weren’t interested in being the first topic of summer drama. Not to mention the thought of what might happen once people realized Riku was single again was enough to make your stomach turn. It didn’t matter that he was out of town for the next two months; as Jeff Goldblum had told you yesterday morning, “Life, uh, finds a way.”

“What are your plans?” you asked, amicably but also desperate to get the attention off yourself. 

Olette flushed and you grinned, eyeing her as she darted a few awkward looks in Pence’s direction. “Oh, you know. Just hanging out. We’ll probably spend a lot of time at the beach, get some watermelon and ice cream. Oh! And the struggle tournament! Gotta…gotta do that. And um. I might plan an end of summer trip to Twilight Town if anyone wants to go.” She was bright red at this point and you couldn’t resist. 

“Uh-huh…who with?” you asked innocently, taking a long sip as she scrambled for an answer. 

“Just the usual group,” she squeaked out. “Hayner and um…” She finally managed to look Pence in the eye who, to his credit, only had his ears turn bright red as if they and they alone had caught fire.

“I’ll be there,” he tripped out, nearly spitting boba out as he answered.

“I wasn’t sure if you wanted to—”

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

“I don’t want to force you to go…”

“No! No I—” He took in a deep breath. “I’d love to go.”

They were being tooth-rotting sweet, but you still felt a mutinous streak of jealousy paint its way across your heart as a small voice wondered how it was fair that their romance was being allowed to bloom after yours had collapsed in such a spectacular fashion. Unable to watch their shy flirting anymore, you pretended you had to be somewhere and quickly excused yourself, trying to keep from running out the door to go back home.

“Watch it!” You nearly missed a Flora & Fauna bag, dodging to the side as it nearly smacked you in the face. You looked at Kairi who looked equally shocked to see you, the two of you frozen as you tried to think of what to say. Of all the people you didn’t want to run into right now, Kairi was number three on the list. She regained her composure before you did, straightening herself out and pursing her lips. 

“Sorry,” you mumbled, casting your eyes to the ground and making to walk away, when she stopped you.

“You okay?” 

You bristled, mentally checking that you weren’t crying or about to cry or anything remotely associated with tears or breaking down, reminded yourself that nobody had breathed a word about your break up, and stared blankly at her. “Yes, why?”

“You look…never mind.” She gathered her things a little more securely and walked past you. You made it about two steps when she stopped you again with an abrupt call of your name. When you faced her, she was staring at the sky, almost as if asking whoever was up there why she was doing what she was doing. “Do you…want to do something?”

Your jaw dropped, and you made no move to close it as you wondered what on earth had possessed her to extend the invitation. “Are you being serious right now?”

“Don’t make me regret this.”

“Don’t you hate me?”

She rolled her eyes. “You hate me just as much.”

“You started it.”

“Oh my god, are you five?”

You turned bright red. “I was nothing but polite to you and you were a huge bit— ...not very nice.”

Kairi laughed quietly, shifting her weight to her other foot. “Good save.” She stepped a little closer, still maintaining a good foot between the two of you, but considering this was the closest you’d come without exchanging glares and thinly veiled insults, you were already considering it a win. “I never thanked you for not telling anybody about…” her voice lowered and she inclined her head, red hair waterfalling to hide her mouth as she said, “Sora and me.”

You softened a little, and matched her smile. “It’s not my news to tell.”

“…it means a lot,” she admitted softly, tucking her hair behind her ear. Her gratitude seemed to make up her minds for her, and she nodded firmly. “Come on. I’ll teach you how to beat Axel at Street Fighter.” You tensed and shuffled a little awkwardly, and if she noticed your discomfort, she very wisely chose not to mention it. “Or we can do something else.”

Your relieved nodding would’ve been comical if not for the expression on your face, and she grinned. “You can help me finish off Xion’s birthday present.” She tilted her head and the two of you walked off, both still slightly stunned at the turn of events. 

~*~

“What’re you laughing about?” You quickly tapped out a reply and hit send, tucking your phone back into your bag.

“Kairi sent me the stupidest meme.” You pushed your sunglasses up higher, stretching your legs out on the blanket as the sunlight warmed your limbs.

“How the fuck is my sister third-wheeling me,” Axel grumbled, pushing a sweaty piece of hair out of his face, his ponytail already falling apart. You shrugged your shoulders, lazily looking up at the lighthouse bleached white by the sun.

“She’s the better Wathaus sibling,” you said with a yawn, the heat making you lethargic. “Xion’s second.”

“That’s cool, I don’t have any feelings to get hurt,” Axel grumbled, grimacing when he realized his beer was warm. “You want another one?” 

You shook your head and picked up your own, sipping thoughtfully as he popped open a new Corona. “I can’t believe it’s the end of July.” 

“Yeah, how bad does it suck to only have two months of vacay?” Axel chirped, laughing when you shoved him. “One more year and then you’re done. You think about where you’re applying to yet?”

“Ugh, shut up,” you muttered. “It’s too early to be thinking about that.”

“I figured you’d be following your boyfriend.” It was an innocuous enough statement, but it was still enough to make you freeze in place. “Speaking of, how is he? I heard he’s at a fancy externship all summer.”

You mumbled something non-descript, staring at the sliver of waves you could see through the guardrail. Axel cocked his head, angling his ear towards you, but your words were whisked away by the steady push and pull of the waves crashing below.

“What? I have no idea what you just said, man.”

“We broke up.”

“…oh shit. I’m sorry. Fresh wounds and all that shit.”

“It was a month ago.”

You didn’t have to look at him to see the way his eyebrows shot upwards. “Jesus, dude. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Dunno. Didn’t want to.” You kept the fact that you’d been deliberately avoiding him because of it a secret; it was only after Kairi had finally confronted you after a week of you dodging his texts and calls that you’d reluctantly gone over to their house, Axel welcoming you back into his life with batting an eye. He patted your head and you laughed in spite of yourself, the fumbling action breaking through your melancholy just from the sheer awkwardness. “Thanks, Axel.”

“Hey man, I’m here for you and all that bullshit.” You returned his easy smile, and for a few peaceful moments you felt settled and relaxed, and then you blurted out, 

“I have to pee.” Axel laughed, but drove you to the nearest gas station all the same. “Sorry,” you said sheepishly, and he chuckled as he tapped along to the radio. 

“It’s cool. I should probably be getting home anyway.” Pulling up outside your house, he stopped you with a warm hand on yours. “Hey, when I get back from the cottage do you wanna do something?”

You smiled brightly. “Like what?”

“Whatever. Let’s just hang out.”

“Like we always do?” you deadpanned, and he chuckled. 

“Sure.” Something in his voice was different; something in the air was charged and you couldn’t quite put your finger on it. A voice that sounded suspiciously like Tidus niggled at the back of your mind, saying something along the lines of “remember when he told you he had feelings for you”, but you quickly squashed it. As he’d promised, he hadn’t brought it up once in the many hours you’d spent with him, and that meant more to you than you wanted to admit. 

“Okay, cool.” The smirk on his face was still friendly, still open, but there was a layer of something else that transformed his already handsome face with an inviting sensuality that made you stutter a little on your ‘goodbye’. 

Any time left to mull over what had transpired was swiftly eaten up by the Strife twins, the two of them having monopolized most of your time with beach trips, road trips, and the occasional drunken firepit in their backyard where Rina and Joji kept a close eye on just how many empties were piling beside your happy trio.

Sora was currently trying to walk you through another fail-safe combo on Street Fighter as the rain poured down outside, laughing every time you swore under your breath as the CPU kicked you clear across the screen again. 

“Sora, I think I’m hopeless,” you said through gritted teeth, throwing your hands up in the air as the K.O. appeared. 

“You just need practise,” Sora promised and Roxas snorted.

“Nah, I know a lost cause when I see one. You just suck,” he quipped, smiling as you pinched at his ankle. “Don’t hate me because I’m telling the truth.” Your phones all chimed simultaneously, and you looked amused at your friends as you asked,

“Cloud?”

“Cloud.”

One benefit of spending the past month with the twins was being forced into an unlikely friendship with Cloud, who was unreadable at the best of times, and downright inscrutable at the worst of times. You’d spent a good two weeks convinced he still didn’t like you, a few choice comments he’d made in the past playing on repeat on your mind. 

Thankfully one beach party when Demyx had made a very strong batch of jungle juice (Yuffie nearly murdered him when she realized he dumped her entire bottle of Mako in it), Cloud had crashed down in the sand beside you, laid one heavy hand on your head and nodded it up and down as he slurred, “You’re pretty okay” before stumbling off and wading waist deep into the ocean to take a piss. 

The three of you opened the snapchat, overlapping voices booming from your phones as Cloud filmed Demyx and Axel having a good-natured debate about who had the better body, Demyx somehow with two pairs of sunglasses on his head and the brightest neon orange swimming trunks on. 

“LISTEN!” Demyx said, waggling a finger at the screen. “Just because Ax is good at slaying pussy doesn’t mean he’s hotter than me.” Eyeing the tall, broad body behind him on the screen, you had to disagree. Not to say that Demyx’s lithe build wasn’t appealing on its own, but while he was built like a dancer, Axel was built like he just made a log cabin with his own hands, shirtless, and then fought a bear or two just for fun. The smattering of tattoos along his arms and torso only served to highlight the muscle underneath, his golden-brown skin a beautiful contrast to his low slung, green swimming trunks. Sorry, Demyx… “We all know that no matter how fucking jacked this guy is he still can’t wheel the girl he wants.”

Zexion shouted something incoherent from behind the screen and Demyx jabbed a finger presumably in his direction. “YES! Yes! See? Zex agrees so for fuck’s sake, give the guy a break already, okay—” Whatever name he’d been about to say was cut off with a screech as Axel pushed him into the lake, Cloud’s snapchat shaking as he laughed.

With a wide grin Axel winked at the camera and backflipped off the dock right before the video ended.

Roxas stared hard at his phone, unfurling his frown through sheer force of will in an attempt to keep from drawing attention to himself. Slowly the suspicion he’d been harbouring since the bonfire began to blossom, vibrant and colourful and not easily ignored. He glanced at you, but you hadn’t seemed to notice the way the video had ended, and Sora was none the wiser as whined. 

“I want to go to a cottage,” Sora groused, flopping onto the couch. “Get Vivi to invite us next time.”

You shrugged apologetically. “I don’t really know if ‘boyfriend’s little sister’ is valid enough for that.”

Whatever Sora was about to respond with was lost as someone knocked relentlessly on the front door, nearly shaking it with the sheer force. Roxas swung his legs onto the floor and inched over, peeking out the window and then unlocking it with an exasperated sigh.

Tidus barged in, dripping rainwater on the tiles as he sniffled, eyes dark as he uselessly tried to flip some damp hair out of his face. “I hate my fucking dad,” he declared as Sora immediately trotted off to find him a towel.

“We all hate your fucking dad,” Roxas replied easily. “I’m gonna grab you some clothes. Don’t move or my ma will kill you.”

“Is everything okay?” you ventured, and he gnashed his teeth.

“Yes. No. NO. It’s not and it’s bullshit. Who the fuck makes their kid practise blitz in a fucking storm?” He was shivering as he spoke, teeth chattering as his anger evaporated in the face of his chilled body. Not a moment too soon Sora and Roxas reappeared, each dutifully shoving their gifts at him as he mumbled his thanks. As soon as he disappeared, Roxas curled back in his seat.

“Good to know Jecht’s still being a dick.”

“Yeah,” Sora said slowly, sitting beside you once more. “Do you think he’s gonna be okay?”

Nobody had an answer. Tidus finally reappeared, significantly drier and much calmer as he toweled his hair dry. “Yo, you got some food or what? I’m starving.”

“Leftovers in the fridge, but the pizza pops are off limits unless you want Cloud to skin you,” Roxas advised, and Tidus disappeared back into the kitchen. Reappearing moments later armed with a litre of Sprite, what looked like a casserole, mashed potatoes, and a roasted chicken under his arms, he sank into the couch.

“That’s cool, we don’t need to eat for the rest of the year,” Sora commented, but grabbed a chicken leg all the same. 

“You okay?” you repeated carefully, and Tidus’s eyes narrowed.

“My old man’s a piece of work. Never realized how much one person could make me hate blitzball.”

“Why don’t you just quit?”

He looked at you like you’d grown three heads, as the twins waited with baited breath. Tidus without blitzball was about as likely to happen as Tidus declaring he was giving up guitar and girls to become a hermit in the mountains with only the animals and flowers for company. He shovelled a spoonful of mashed potatoes in his mouth as he mulled it over as you waited. 

“I could.” Then his face fell. “Can’t, though. I need the scholarships for school because I don’t trust whatever college fund my ‘rents said they set up for me.” 

“Listen man, if you don’t get captain this year, I’m telling you the whole team will strike,” Roxas interjected, and Tidus snorted.

“No way.”

“Yeah, way. Hundo p.” 

Tidus grinned, cheeks stuffed with food. “Thanks, man. We’re gonna need a shit ton of work though if we’re going to win now that Riku’s gone.”

It was amazing how one name could instantly bring a hush to a room, Tidus guiltily looking at you as if he’d stabbed you with his fork instead of just inviting the memory of your ex-boyfriend into the room.

“Guys, it’s fine,” you said, exasperated. Truthfully you still felt a tremor race through your heart whenever he came up, but he was right; his externship came at the perfect time and gave you the time and distance you needed to breathe and push him from your mind. “He was your friend first, and I don’t expect you to stop talking about him.”

“You’re our friend too, you know,” Sora said gently, a hand tenderly squeezing your forearm.

“Yeah, and you’re better company,” Roxas quipped. 

“I know,” you said, playing off the emotion tightening your chest with a playful roll of your eyes, “but I’m okay with it. Seriously. More importantly, we have one month left and if we can’t go to Vivi’s cottage we should at least plan something else out.”

_Before Riku gets back_ was unspoken, but you knew they all heard the implication. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t want to know how he was doing, sick of seeing Sora carefully angle his phone away from you whenever Riku’s name flashed across the screen. It made you feel like everyone was walking on eggshells around you, as if even a hint of his name would leave you a quaking, snotty mess. And maybe part of you was a little more willing to admit that you felt disappointed that he hadn’t reached out at all; it stung despite you knowing that the chances of it happening right now were slim to none, though the relief that came with not having to talk about those three little words he’d left slip that night overshadowed it.

You wondered if he ever asked about you. If Sora had told him about your bizarre, budding friendship with Kairi that had made Tidus choke on a hot dog when he found out and cough it up onto Roxas’s lap. If he knew about the strange snapchat battle you had with Cloud about who could find the weirdest graffiti. If he knew that Roxas had taught you how to do a kickflip, and Sora had finally gotten you to stand for more than ten seconds on a surfboard. 

“—Thirteen. They’re so fucking lucky.”

You snapped back to the present, looking cluelessly from boy to boy as you tried to rejoin the conversation.

“Probably because they’re good,” Roxas said with a smirk, and Tidus shot him a dirty look.

“They just got lucky. That’s it.” He sighed dramatically and ate a heaping spoonful of casserole. “I can’t believe they got signed,” he said, voice thick with food. 

“Oh no shit?” you burst out. “Axel never said anything.”

Roxas’s eyebrows pinched as he looked at you, carefully choosing his words as he said, “They haven’t finalized it, but they’re meeting with the execs next week.”

“What day?”

“Thursday.”

You nodded absentmindedly, grinning once you realized you could wish Axel luck the day before. You quickly pulled out your phone, texting him a quick **you free Wednesday?** as Roxas tried not to watch on.

“Where’s our goddamn record deal!” Tidus yelled at the ceiling, just as your phone buzzed with an, **I can be** popping up on your screen. 

When Joji came downstairs and told a furiously blushing Tidus that he probably wouldn’t get a record deal if he swore at the higher forces, you giggled along with Sora and missed the surreptitious text Roxas sent Axel, his mouth set in a firm line as he wrote,

**We need to talk**

~*~

“Are you breaking up with me or something?”

Roxas swore as he skateboarded through the park, lazily weaving around on the concrete as he adjusted his headphones. “Fuck off, man. You didn’t have to call me, you know. This could’ve waited until you got back.

“Then don’t text me like a dramatic bitch,” Axel said with chuckle, voice tired. “Fuck, man. I don’t know what it is about vacay hangovers but they suck ass.”

“Stop chugging everything and you’ll be fine,” Roxas snarked, and Axel laughed again, mumbling something about Roxas not living life to the fullest. 

“What’s good, though? You seem like you’ve got some shit on your mind.” On the other end, Axel’s voice noticeably perked up. “Is it a girl?”

Roxas hummed as he slowed to a stop, dragging his toe on the ground as he thought. “Kinda?”

“Or a guy. But you should probably talk to Demyx about that instead.”

“No, you dumb fuck.” A passing mother glared at him as she covered her child’s ears. He shrugged unapologetically and took a deep breath. “Do you have a thing for (Name)?”

There was dead silence on the other end for a moment too long. “What brought this up?”

“You might as well just say yes now, you fu— di— …you wiener.”

Axel guffawed on the other end. “Good save.” Roxas didn’t respond, hoping his pointed silence would make it very clear that his best friend wasn’t going to wiggle his way out of this one, no matter how hard he tried. “I might.”

“You know about her and that Clark Kent looking motherfucker?”

“Jesus, Rox. Get right to the point, why don’t you. Yeah. She told me about it.”

Roxas took in another deep breath. “Okay. Listen. You’re my best friend—”

“I fucking better be.”

“—and that means I’m gonna spell this out for you because you’re a dumb bit— …weiner.”

Another loud laugh.

“Don’t smash and dash,” Roxas said carefully into the phone, mouthing an angry “what?!” at the mother still shaking her head at him, her eyes small slits in her face with the force of her disapproving glare. 

“Classy, Rox.”

“I mean it. I’ll fu— …I’ll have to sit you down and be angry at your face with my fists if you do it. She’s my friend and I don’t want you just messing around with her.”

“You got it, boss,” Axel said with a yawn and the sound of a smile curling around his voice. “You’re pretty interested in defending her honour. Sure you don’t have a thing for her?”

“I hope you drown in the lake.”

Roxas hung up to the sound of Axel chuckling, and gave a stiff, apologetic salute to the annoyed parent still eyeing him. In spite of any remorse lingering in his mind, he still felt a burst of vindication as he skateboarded away when a tiny child yelled, “fuck!” behind him.

~*~

Okay, so maybe Roxas had hit a deeper nerve than he wanted, but it didn’t change the fact that Axel was waiting in his car for you, blowing wobbly smoke rings out the window as he scrolled through the music on his phone. Occasionally the glimmer of the afternoon sun on the brass 505 outside your front door caught his eyes, but he’d given up on expecting you to be on time at this point, ruefully admitting that maybe this was karma for all the time he’d left his friends waiting.

The passenger door flung open and you launched yourself at him, squeezing him in a tight hug that nearly had him drop his cigarette and set the two of you alight.

“CONGRATS! Thanks for telling me you signed,” you said gleefully, cheerfully punching his arm. He gave you a lopsided smile as he rubbed his shoulder.

“It’s all kind of in the air right now,” he admitted. “Didn’t want to break the news until we knew for sure.”

“Still!” Your eyes were gleaming as you looked at him, and his traitorous heart skipped a beat. “You guys deserve it. Holy shit…I’m going to know someone famous.”

“Unless I leave your ass in the dirt,” he remarked, chuckling at your offended look. “Pick a song.” He tossed his phone into your lap and you blinked, having been used to his particular music tastes and happily enjoyed whatever new song he was obsessively listening to. When a minute passed without any movement on your side, he looked at you from the corner of his eyes. “You good?”

“Gotta choose something good,” you mumbled, scrolling through an endless list of artists. His heart skipped another beat.

“Whatever you pick is fine.”

“No. I need to blow your mind.”

He was torn. On one hand, he could go straight-up XXX, porno dialogue easily slipping off his tongue as he told you just how exactly you could blow his mind, but on the other hand he could indulge in cheesy, MTV teen drama dialogue where the two of you bantered whimsically about one thing or the other and then maybe you could split a milkshake at the diner later.

…yeah, pass on both, but maybe he’d revisit the first one later if the little angel on his shoulder that looked disturbingly like Roxas would leave him alone.

“Just choose something.”

“Relax,” you shot back, sticking your tongue out at him as he raised an eyebrow. Eventually you settled on a song, the bass shaking the speakers. Sensual hip hop wasn’t what he’d been banking on, but he couldn’t complain when you were nodding along, rapping along to the occasional line.

Fuck, he had it bad. 

Finally he reached your destination, and debated for two seconds if he should open the door for you, but by the time he’d decided that no, that was a dumb because it’s not like he was taking you to prom or anything, you had already hopped out of the car. “Get it together,” he muttered to himself. Why the fuck was he acting like he was fifteen again? 

He was walking to the door when he noticed you weren’t following him, lingering by his car. “You good?” He wandered back over, bending over a little to try and look you in the eye. 

“Can we ah…not go there?”

He looked back at Tiana’s, the bakery gleaming innocently in the sunlight. He could smell the fresh, sugar-coated beignets through the open door, could see the brilliant display of sweet treats and the thirst-quenching lemonade behind the counter, but he tore himself away.

“Sure.” He wanted to press, but your fidgeting was enough to tell him he really didn’t want to know the reason. Probably something to do with Riku. He glanced down the street, running through his list of options, and then grabbed you by the elbow. “Let’s get Mexican.”

You trailed behind him, still slightly subdued, and his growing need to snap you out of whatever was bumming you out had him essentially ordering one of everything off the menu until your table had run out of room. 

“I don’t know how we’re supposed to finish this,” you laughed, picking up another empanada. 

“I’ll give it to Demyx,” he said with a grin, stuffing a tostada in his mouth. “Don’t stress.”

“Axel, I swear to fucking god if you trade out ‘relax’ for ‘don’t stress’ as your new catchphrase of the month I might kill you,” you said in a flat voice, reaching for a churro.

He waggled his eyebrows. “How would you do it?”

“How would I kill you?” You chewed thoughtfully. “Suffocation. Real close and personal,” you said with a sharp grin, taking a vicious bite of your churro.

“I’m taller than you.”

“I’ll just go for your knees first,” you said calmly. His smile widened and he leaned in, somehow finding elbow room in between the plates of food.

“And I’m stronger than you.”

You leaned in too, nearly elbowing the yuca fries off the table. “Try me.”

Well, that went straight to his dick. It didn’t help that there was drop of dulce de leche clinging just above your lip, and it would be so easy to just inch forward and lick it off…but instead he was good, mini Roxas nodding and adjusting his halo as he gestured at your mouth and huskily said, “You’ve got a little something there.”

When you wiped it off with your thumb and licked your finger clean, that went straight to his dick too. Angel Roxas combusted. 

The rest of your time downtown was spent how it normally was, wandering into thrift stores and trying on ugly hats, flipping through records to feed his habit of being “a filthy hipster” as you liked to call it, and him trying again to convince you to take a quick trip into the tattoo parlour with him “just for shits and giggles”. While you seemed unfazed, not even noticing or refusing to acknowledge any change between the two of you, Axel spent every spare minute he could just watching you, wrapping an arm around you whenever he could until you complained that it was too hot, and wondering just what your reaction would be if he suggested skinny dipping to cool down.

He hoped you got all flustered and blushed from head to toe, but part of him also wanted the coy, inebriated girl from Atlantica, peeling her clothes off and challenging him to come and get her. Either way, it was getting harder and harder to stop staring at your mouth or at the hem of your shorts. He always knew he was an ass-man, but he’d never fully appreciated just how glorious soft thighs could look too.

“Thanks for the ride.” He was torn from his thoughts with a start. He didn’t even remember the drive home, let alone turning onto your street. You smiled at him again, and his stomach flipped. “Good luck tomorrow, but you guys don’t need it.” 

The look on your face was so sure, so confident in him and his talent that it made every thought grind to a halt. He could see every constellation in your eyes as you looked at him. He bet right now you tasted like chilis and dulce de leche. 

“Wait.” You paused on your way out and slid back into the car, a curious smile on as you waited. 

Axel reached out a hand and pushed your hair back, his fingers trailing along the shell of your ear and making you shiver as he cradled your cheek in the palm of your hand. He leaned in, careful and measured to give you time to pull away, but when you didn’t, he didn’t bother to wait as he sealed his lips against yours.

Stars above, it was better than he remembered. It was like kissing the sun; the warmth that melted into his body, the way your mouth moulded perfectly against his. You tasted like sugar, and you smelled like something floral and hot and it was making him dizzy. The quiet, huff of air that washed across his mouth had him surging back in, catching your lower lip in his teeth as he nibbled and pulled a moan from your mouth that set every nerve in his body going haywire.

“Axel—”

He kissed you breathless again, wondering if you could feel the want pooling deep in his belly. He finally released you and rested his forehead against yours, his hand tracing down the line of your neck to your arm. “Yours or mine?” he purred, slipping his fingers under yours.

“I can’t,” you choked out, voice breaking off as he nudged your chin up with his nose and kissed the corner of your jaw.

“Why not?”

“I just…don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Relax,” he said, moving back up to your mouth and dotting your cheeks with the barest graze of his lips. “Don’t think about it too hard. Let’s just have some fun.”

By the way you stiffened in his arms he knew he said the wrong thing. You pulled back and he went to follow you, but you braced your hands against his chest. “’Fun’?” Your voice was hard.

“That came out wrong—”

“No, I think it came out exactly how you wanted it to,” you said testily. “I don’t want to be another of your one-night stands, and I figured you’d know better than that by now.” You clenched a first in his shirt for a moment, your face crumpling. “So much for just being friends.”

“C’mon, I didn’t mean it like that. Just let me explain?” He tried to give you his most winning smile, but you got out anyway, throwing a cold,

“Not interested,” over your shoulder as you stalked up to your house. 

Axel sighed and gently hit his head against the steering wheel, mind rewinding the past few minutes at full speed as he began to slowly admit that maybe he was a little rustier at seriously pursuing women than he’d like. Drinking heavily the night before an important meeting didn’t seem like the best idea, but right now he was itching for a beer, a shot or two of Jamie, and sweet oblivion. 

“’Have some fun’,” he scoffed as he drove down the street. “Great fucking job, bud.”

~*~

“Riku!”

Sora bounded down the stairs to greet his best friend, flinging his body at the older boy with all the energy of twenty small children hopped up on sugar. “You’re finally home! Tell me about your externship! Was the Lotus Forest as weird as everyone says it is?”

Riku was practically dragged into the Strife home, barely managing to get a word in edgewise about his summer as Sora popped his head in each room, gleefully announcing that Riku was over as his parents and twin nodded indulgently, Tidus just watching the entire affair apathetically as he tried to fit another marshmallow into his already stuffed cheeks.

“Chu-ee un-ee,” he choked out, a string of drool sliding out the corner of his mouth.

“Gonna remind you again that literally nobody asked you to do this,” Roxas said with a grimace, retching as Tidus spewed the mass of marshmallow into the plastic bag in front of him.

“Try and beat 15,” Tidus said smugly, waving the mush in Roxas’s face.

Roxas dry heaved again and pushed it out of his face. “Pass, you freak. ‘Sup, Ri. How was the externship?”

Riku settled onto the chair, accepting the controller Sora shoved into his hands as he turned on the PS4. “Pretty chill. Didn’t have any cell service or decent Wi-Fi so we actually had to go out and do things,” he said with a grin, looking at Sora as he scrolled through Fifa 19’s opening sequence. 

“Get off your high horse and pick a damn team,” Sora snarked, though there was no real venom behind it. Riku barely managed to get out the stories of his summer in between yelling obscenities at the screen, Sora complaining that maybe his mother should scold Riku for swearing too instead of just her sons, and Rina reminding her son that guests were allowed to do as they please and maybe if he got accepted to a prestigious externship in his senior year she’d let the profanities slide. 

“How about you guys?” 

Tidus shrugged. “The usual. Called it quits with Selphie.”

“Legit? Or are we going to see more surprise hickeys on your bicep or something?”

“For real,” Tidus grumbled. “There’s only so much drama I can listen to before it’s not worth it anymore. You know she tried to convince me to get a buzzcut? I’d look like an egg.” He slapped Riku’s knee hard. “Gotta find someone new now who loves and accepts me for who I am, so whenever you get a link at HBU make sure you let me know.”

Riku rolled his eyes. “Not a chance.”

Tidus pouted and placed his hands behind his head, rolling his ankles until they cracked. “Don’t tell me you’re still hung up on your girl.”

“Have some fucking tact, bro,” Roxas griped, punching Tidus in the side as he yelped. 

“Not…really,” Riku began hesitantly, and with a deft twist of his thumb he scored the winning goal as Sora yelled into a pillow. “I spent a long time thinking about it—” 

Tidus perked up, grinning. “How long?”

“Just a long time.”

“Like every day?”

“Yes.” 

“Every night?”

“Why does it— YES.” 

“Every week?”

Riku imagine locking Tidus in the back of his car, setting it in neutral and letting it slowly roll into the ocean. “Fucking hell; yes, it was the only thing on my fucking mind all summer.”

“Oh fuck.” Tidus relaxed back into the couch. “That is a long time.”

In Riku’s mind’s eye, Tidus was pressed up against the back window and begging for mercy. “I fucking hate you.”

“Those two months away from this moron must have been heaven,” Roxas said wistfully, laughing as Tidus tried to hit him with a cushion.

“Go on, Ri,” Sora said, having had his fill of muffled swearing. 

“She was right.” There was dead silence as they all turned to look at him, incredulous. “Don’t act like I’m crazy, she was. I was a stupid, immature jackass about it and I didn’t handle it how I should have.” 

“Who the hell are you and what have you done with our friend?” Tidus asked, inching further away from Riku. “The real Riku doesn’t talk about petty things like his thoughts or feelings. He bottles that shit up tight and pretends he’s a goddamn cyborg.”

“Yeah, fuck you too, bud,” Riku said with a roll of his eyes. “I uh…I ran into Aerith. Turned out she was heading my section.”

“No way!” Sora bolted upright, his eyes round as his smile stretched from ear to ear. “I’ve missed her! How is she? She still the same? How’s Zack? Did you get to see him? Did she talk about him?”

“She’s chilling, he’s chilling, he’s on leave right now so that’s pretty sick. He stopped by for a bit, but they’re both good. Pretty much the same,” Riku said with a grin as Sora hummed happily, almost dancing in his seat. 

“Man. It threw me when I found out she was Cloud’s dealer,” he whispered with a snicker. 

“That shit’s still weird,” Roxas insisted, wondering for the nth time how the kind, soft-spoken girl had managed to get away with growing weed in her parents’ garden.

“Anyway, I spoke to her a lot this summer and she helped me work through a lot of shit,” Riku continued, and Tidus nodded sagely, dropping his voice to a quiet murmur.

“You were high as a kite each time, weren’t you?”

“…yeah.”

“Yeah, buddy,” Tidus cheered. “Weed’s way cheaper than therapy.” 

Roxas smirked. “Uh…I don’t think that’s how it works.”

The conversation swiftly devolved from there as the boys argued about the benefits of mind-altering substances, and even though Riku was laughing and joking along with them, he still felt your lacking presence keenly. He didn’t think for a second you’d be here to greet him, but knew better than to expect his friends would cut you out of their lives just because the two of you broke up. Maybe they weren’t consciously keeping from bringing you up, but he wanted to know what you’d been up to. _More like if she’s hooked up with Axel or not_ , a voice in his head hissed, and he flinched. 

“How’s Cloud?” he said casually, schooling his face into an expression of neutral interest as the attention turned back to him. 

“Thirteen got signed!” Sora blurted out, his smile back in full force. “I’ve never seen ma cry that much before. You should’ve heard the ‘sweetheart!’ that came out of her mouth when he told her. It was like he cured cancer or something.”

Riku was impressed in spite of himself. “No way.”

“Crazy shit happens when you’re living under a rock with no internet,” Roxas said, pulling up an article on his phone and passing it to Riku.

Riku bit back the snarky comment about how this was just from the Hollow Bastion Record, because it didn’t really count if a student publication was writing a review about your single. He skimmed it, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the praise gushing from each word, claiming the band was the “next big thing”, sure to “top the charts”. His gaze lingered a little on the attached photo, Axel’s trademark, cocky smirk immortalized in colour as he gave a sarcastic, one-fingered salute to whoever was behind the camera.

“Is their single any good?” Riku asked, tearing his eyes away from the smile that somehow felt like it was mocking him. 

“Ehhh…” Tidus bobbed his head from side to side as he thought. “It’s…different. Not bad, but not, you know.”

“Great description.”

“Hey, I tried, didn’t I?”

“We can listen to it!” Sora chirped, whipping out his phone. “It’s a little more…like…upbeat than what they normally do, but it’s still good.”

Riku looked at Roxas with a raised eyebrow, ready for his review and nearly choked on his own spit as the drummer deadpanned, “Axel sounds like a whiny fucking teenager.”

“Language, dear,” floated from the kitchen and Roxas grinned.

“Sorry, ma.”

Sora fiddled uselessly with the Bluetooth speakers for a moment until Roxas rolled his eyes and nudged his twin out of the way, quickly connecting them. “It hates me, I swear,” Sora muttered.

Guitar swelled in the living room, loud enough to shake the pictures on the walls as Sora winced and quickly turned the volume down. The opening was standard, painting a clear picture of Axel and Demyx playing for all they were worth. Then Axel started to sing, and Riku frowned.

“ _What's the deal with my brain? Why am I so obviously insane? In a perfect situation I let love down the drain. There's the pitch, slow and straight; all I have to do is swing and I'm a hero, but I'm a zero._ ”

He was lost, wondering where the standard cool, casual mood that usually filtered through all of Thirteen’s songs was. Axel sounded…desperate. “Why is this like borderline pop?” 

Roxas looked equal parts smug and irritated. “Told you. Whiny teenager.”

“ _Hungry nights, once again; now it's getting unbelievable, ‘cause I could not have it better, but I just can't get no play from the girls all around as they search the night for someone to hold onto. I just pass through..._ ”

“I don’t know how, but that dick still somehow managed to brag about his kill count in a song. That’s just…impressive,” Tidus grudgingly sighed. “Like imagine how many panties dropped listening to him cry about not being able to find ‘the one’? What a skeeze.”

“You mad you didn’t think of it first?”

Tidus crossed his arms across his chest. “…yeah.”

“ _Singing oohhhhh oh…ooohhhhh oh…ooohhhhhhhhhh whoa. Singing oohhhhh oh…ooohhhhh oh…ooohhhhhhhhhh whoa. Get your hands off the girl. Can't you see that she belongs to me, and I don't appreciate this excess company. Though I can't satisfy all the needs she has and so she starts to wander..._ ”

“I think Cloud actually sings in this one,” Sora said, eyes narrowing as he tried to pick out his older brother’s voice from the background harmonies. 

“For once,” Roxas tacked on. “Ha. Remember when he sang ma happy birthday and she cried? And then you joined in and she started laughing?”

“…thanks, Roxas.”

“ _Can you blame her?_ ”

Riku barely registered any of the chatter around him, everything around him fading out as the music wound its way around him, sparking hope inside him that he didn’t dare address. He didn’t know for sure that this song was about you, but even if it wasn’t it at least spoke very clearly of failed romance. In the best-case scenario, it meant you’d turned him down. In the worst-case scenario, it meant Axel had moved on and been turned down by someone else, but it didn’t matter either way because you weren’t with him.

“ _Singing oohhhhh oh…ooohhhhh oh…ooohhhhhhhhhh whoa. Singing oohhhhh oh…ooohhhhh oh…ooohhhhhhhhhh whoa._ ”

“And now…” Roxas paused for dramatic effect, “peak angst.”

“ _Tell me there's a logic out there leading me to better prepare for the day that something really special might come. Tell me there's some hope for me. I don't wanna be lonely for the rest of my days on the earth._ ”

The guitar slammed through the speakers, practically wailing pain and frustration as (Axel? Demyx? Probably Axel) slammed through it nearly violently.

“ _Ooohhhhh oh. Ooohhhhh oh. Ooohhhhhhhhhh whoa… Singing oohhhhh oh…ooohhhhh oh…ooohhhhhhhhhh whoa._ ”

Riku started tuning out as Axel continued to vocalize, joy trembling barely hidden under his skin as he tried to rationalize that texting you out of the blue after two months of silence wasn’t a good idea. Nor did he have the time, if he was being honest. He’d lingered a few too many days in the forest, dreading the idea of coming home and spending a good week staring fruitlessly at your window and hoping you’d appear, sweet and forgiving. 

He wanted to see you. God, he _wanted to see you_. But frosh week called, his brand-new textbooks beckoned, and his parents had already made it clear that packing took priority above all else. They’d already allowed him the indulgence of spending tonight with his friends and – he snuck a look at Sora – he’d learned over the summer as well not to take them for granted either. Aerith would be so proud of how far he’s come, he thought wryly.

He unenthusiastically decided to wait, quickly concocting a thousand fanciful daydreams about how exactly he was going to win you back, how he was going to show you, prove to you that he’d changed for the better, become someone you could trust again.

Then he grinned as an idea carefully sprung to life, and he rounded onto his unsuspecting friend. 

“Hey. Ti.”

They all paused mid-conversation, Tidus regarding Riku with no small measure of trepidation. “Yeah…?”

“I’m calling in that favour.”

Tidus let out a world-weary sigh and stood, feigning tears as he whispered, “I knew this day would come.” He turned and bent over, sniffling again for dramatic effect as he whimpered, “Be gentle.”

If he thought it would and any other way than a kick to the ass, he thought wrong. With an undignified screech he went toppling face-first into the floor as Sora shook with laughter.

“You’re a sick fuck,” Sora wheezed.

“Sora. Language.” Rina’s voice was firm, no-nonsense, and even though Sora knew he’d be soundly reprimanded later, it did little to wither his beaming smile as he sighed happily.

“Worth it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A grumpy cherub Roxas is something I never realized I needed in my life before now.
> 
> Bit of a filler chapter tbh because I've been disgustingly busy and need to set the stage for the next round of dramatics coming your way. :) 
> 
> I haven't had time to reply to all new comments, but please know that I love and appreciate all of them and will respond once I have time!!! You guys are all AMAZING.
> 
> [Your sweet hip hop jam.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCGV26aj-mM)


	19. 505

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Song here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrmPDUvKyLs)

It’d been longer than he’d expected since he’d been home.

Riku combed his fingers through his hair, starting once again as it ended much sooner than he’d expected. He’d had this haircut for a week and he still wasn’t used to it, to the way his hair now gently fluffed up at the nape of neck instead of hanging long and loose down his back. He’d been subjected to a rather rowdy group of girls at a party that had insisted he let them “show off his gorgeous face”, an experience that could’ve gone infinitely worse than it had. Thankfully they hadn’t been lying about attending the sister college to HBU for esthetics, and he’d come out no worse for wear. 

They’d been a lot of fun later that night too.

He cleared his throat, pulling himself from some pleasant memories as he pulled up outside Sora’s house, trying and failing to come up with a valid excuse for why he hadn’t been home in a while since school started. The mid-term bluff was only true for the past two weeks, and he was sitting at a grand total of seven weekends that he hadn’t visited. He wasn’t ready for the accusatory eyes and pointed silences. 

Reluctantly he left the safety of his car and walked up the driveway with the same air a doomed man might have walking to the gallows. 

“Jesus Christ. Who the fuck is this guy?”

Riku hid his wince, relaxing slightly when he saw the amusement clear in Tidus’s eyes as he looked him over. “Sorry, but we don’t need any new members.”

“Fuck you, dude,” Riku sniped back, fist-bumping his friend as he smiled.

Roxas ambled into the garage, the door to the house slamming behind him as his eyes narrowed. “Who’s the new guy? You tell him we’re good?” he asked, a sharp grin on his face. 

“Tidus already made that joke.”

Roxas shrugged, shoving half the Danish in his hand into his mouth. “Sweet haircut, but seriously. We replaced you with Wakka.”

Riku shifted awkwardly, his hands growing cold. “Oh. Okay cool. I’ll see you guys later?” 

“Kidding,” Roxas said, his voice exasperated, but amused. “Kinda. We did replace you with Wakka, but we’re not total assholes. You know we’re down to play with you no matter what, just this time we’re doing Tidus a favour as he does you a favour, which means that now he owes me and Sora a favour.”

“Still doesn’t make any sense,” Tidus muttered, but Roxas threw a drumstick at his head and Riku laughed. He was slowly finding his footing again, re-establishing just where he stood with these boys – with his friends – despite the steady passage of time.

“Where’s Sora?”

Roxas rolled his eyes. “Off doing gross shit FaceTiming Kairi. Don’t ask if they’re a ‘thing’. He hates that.” He retrieved his errant drumstick. “On second thought, definitely ask if they’re a ‘thing’. His voice gets so high it’s like his balls haven’t dropped yet.”

Riku tried not to feel a pang of jealousy when Kairi’s name came up; she’d managed to snag a spot at Scala ad Caelum’s university, seizing her chance to leave the islands in spite of whatever or whomever she was leaving behind. Sora finally burst through the door, a whirlwind of limbs as he raced over to his best friend.

“You’re finally goofing here!” he shouted, hugging him as tightly as he could and jumping up and down until Riku was unwillingly doing the same.

“’Goofing’?” Riku managed to choke out, not sure he’d heard just right, but Roxas’s guffaw proved him right.

“Ma got tired of telling her sunshine boy to stop swearing, so she told him to choose another word. It’s better than some of the other ones he tried; trust me.”

“I goofing hate you.”

“Okay as touched as I am by this goddamn reunion, let me kindly remind you that we haven’t rehearsed together once and we’ve got like three hours until we have to play this shit,” Tidus interrupted, and Riku whistled.

“Since when are you the responsible one?”

“Since sky boy decided he’d rather suck virtual face than do anything productive,” Tidus griped, and Sora rolled his eyes.

“He still hasn’t found a replacement for Selphie,” he stage-whispered, and Tidus huffed.

Riku smirked and took his bass out, plugging in the cords as he said, “I’ll take it over you yelling about how you want to ‘shred some sweet chords’.” 

Tidus flapped an impatient hand at him. “That was more of a chapter one thing in the epic story of my life.”

“Sure. Your life.” Roxas grinned cheekily at the glare Tidus threw over his shoulder. “Count us in, boss.”

Tidus sighed, grounded himself, and said,

“One two three four…”

~*~

Kissing Hayner was like kissing your brother. Not that you had any frame of reference for that, mind you, but the lack of excitement and attraction in your cold, dead heart was almost worth crying over as you drifted about in your thoughts. 

It’s not that he was a bad kisser, you thought as you looked at a poster he had taped onto his ceiling, but it just…wasn’t…right. He pulled away with a pop and you quickly shut your eyes, making a scene of fluttering them open as you smiled at him. 

What had been a satisfied smirk on his face became a scowl as his cheeks tinted pink. “Your eyes were wide open. Why were they open?”

“Relax, Bruno Mars,” you retorted before you could catch yourself. “Sorry.”

He muttered a, “Whatever” under his breath and toppled backwards onto his bed. “Don’t force yourself to mack on me like I’m some charity case.”

“That’s not it,” you began, but he rolled onto his side, back facing you.

“Yeah, yeah. And tell Olette to stop trying to set me up with people. I don’t give two shits about her double date dreams,” he grumbled.

You hid a smile, opting instead of tickle at the spot between his shoulder blades until he faced you again, swatting your hand away. “We still good?”

“Don’t be stupid. Of course we are.” He had an affectionate smile on his face as he sat up. “Let’s get some food before I thrash you at Mortal Kombat.” He led the way out of your room as your phone buzzed, Sora’s name and the adorable baby picture you’d sneakily snapped for his contact photo appearing on the screen.

New message: Sky Boy  
You’re still coming tonight right

You rolled your eyes fondly. He’d been badgering you about this nearly every other day, confirming and reaffirming your presence multiple times in English class as you whispered at him that he was on the wrong page, yet again.

Sent:  
Yeah I wouldn’t miss it

New message: Sky Boy  
OKAY GOOD you won’t regret it

Sent:  
I might if you sing anything

New Message: Sky Boy  
Goof you

Things had been good since the school year had started. Your easy bond with the boys had only strengthened over the past two months, the dread that Riku might show up at any moment quickly dismissed once it became clear that he wasn’t going to take advantage of the quick 45-minute drive as much as he’d promised just months before. In fact, the worry that he might arrive unexpectedly had forced you out of sheer desperation to join Olette and Pence’s incredibly lovesick company, braving the nauseating couple with Hayner and Roxas. But Roxas had band practise, and that meant you and Hayner alone more often than not, and that coupled with Olette’s scheming…well. It had ended in some desultory kissing and a resignation that the two men you’d actually felt anything with were well out of your life.

As you sat on Hayner’s kitchen counter, scrolling through Instagram while lightheartedly questioning his ability to make sandwiches, an ad for Thirteen’s upcoming album appeared and you swore. It was bad enough you’d had to delete everything about Axel off your phone, even worse that you’d had to mute Cloud and Demyx across all platforms just to escape seeing his face, unbidden. This was just the universe laughing loud and bold in your face and jeering that you couldn’t do a thing about it.

“Why do you always look so pissed off?” Hayner asked, peering at your phone as you kicked at his cabinets.

“Coming from someone who’s perpetually cheesed?”

“Oh hey! That’s Cloud and Axel’s band, right? They’re pretty good.”

Add on that Thirteen was steadily gaining in popularity and everyone on Destiny Islands was disgustingly proud of the fact that they’d originated here, you really had no way of escaping from Axel at all. Riku had the decency to vanish without a trace from your life. Axel, of course, wouldn’t offer the same courtesy. 

“They’re alright,” you replied, and Hayner scoffed.

“They’re blowing up right now.”

“Their lead singer’s an asshole.”

“Axel?” Hayner thought for a moment. “Yeah, he was kind of a douche when he was here. He was chill to me, though.” He spread a distracted swipe of cream cheese as he mused, “Maybe I should be a dick. Girls seem to like that.”

You rolled your eyes. “Trust me, they don’t. But you know, it doesn’t matter.”

“Why not.”

“’Cause you’re already a dick.”

Hayner threatened to kick you out as you laughed, rolling your eyes. He was good on his word as he booted you out, after several hours of video games, another sandwich and a bag of chips later. He’d claimed he needed to get ready for the dance, and when you remarked that he was going take longer than you to get ready he’d shut the door in your face. 

As you were meandering home, your music was interrupted by ringing, and you sighed heavily as you answered without looking. “Yes, Sora, I’m coming tonight. I promise. I know it’s super weird that Mr. Chase decided to finally host a dance on a Friday instead of a Wednesday, but I’d give him credit for finally learning the benefit of logic and not making the entire student body exhausted in the middle of the week.”

A laugh burst through the speaker, one that was far too deep and husky to be Sora’s, and you jerked your phone up to stare at the caller ID. Just a long string of numbers. You waited for them to settle down, and then asked suspiciously, “Who is this?”

“Already forgot about me that fast, huh?” Your heart stopped, your feet freezing in their tracks as you recognized the voice. “It’s Axel. Got it memorized?”

You didn’t even notice that he’d trailed off a little weakly, his poor attempt at humour given how many hours you’d spent telling him how god-awful his high school catchphrase had been falling flat. “Why’re you calling me?”

“Easy with the hostility, man. I wanted to check in.”

“Why now?” you demanded, stomping off back home. It was bad enough contending with the digital Axel, but now the real one too? 

“Missed you.”

You almost forgot how to breathe, nearly blinded with rage. “Are you—areyoufuckingkiddingme?” you rushed out, gobsmacked.

“I know shit got weird near the end.” You choked out a noise that sounded like an angry horse. “And I should’ve talked to you about it sooner, but it got…busy. And I know that’s not a good excuse, but it started to feel like I took too long and…yeah.” 

“That doesn’t fix anything that happened,” you hissed.

“Yeah I know. Believe me, I know. I wish I’d said sorry every single fucking day.” There was the soft sound of an inhale, the familiar crackle of him smoking calming you down more than the remorse tinging his voice. “I wanna make it up to you. We’re playing a show when the album drops here. I’ll score you and your buddies some tickets, just…come?”

You had half a mind to turn him down.

“Please?”

“Is this your way of trying to pay me off?” you snarled, suspicion rearing its ugly head.

“What? No, this is me trying to apologize.”

“It’d help if you actually apologized, dickbag.”

There was silence on the other end, and for a second you expected him to hang up, which would have been fine by you. 

“I’m sorry.” You tripped over your own feet, yelping into the phone as you stumbled to regain your balance. “You good?”

“I just wasn’t expecting that,” you said, flustered a you clutched at your neighbour’s fence, trying to process the whirlwind of information rushing through your brain.

“Asks me to apologize, then doesn’t believe me when I do,” Axel muttered and you snorted in spite of yourself.

“Can you blame me?”

There was a thoughtful hum on the other end of the line. “I actually wasn’t trying to buy you off with the party, you know. I just—”

You bit your lip. “…you just what?”

“…I just wanted to see you again.” There was a beat of silence that lingered a little too long, and Axel rushed out, “Figured I could do a two for one. Show you I’m sorry and hang out. Just like old times. No funny business.”

…ah, shit. 

You huffed, pushing yourself off the fence as you walked up your driveway. “If you’re a dick I’m never talking to you ever again.” He laughed through his nose, and you smiled, even as you said, “Seriously, though.”

“I know. I’ll be good. Scout’s honour,” he quipped, and you giggled. “I’ll text you the deets later. …it was good talking to you.”

“You too,” you murmured, a bounce to your step as you practically floated up to your room. Maybe things weren’t as irreparable as you thought. Part of you had missed him, had made your chest ache when you noticed the steadily declining texts. Granted you hadn’t helped by refusing to reply to him at all, your heart still a mess of confused feelings about Riku and Axel kissing you and where exactly you belonged in this complex web of relationships, friendships, and animosity. Now, though? Now you felt yourself returning to familiar territory, and if you felt a little giddy and a little flushed at the thought of seeing Axel again, only you needed to know about it. You nearly ran face first into Hiro once you were done getting ready, his hands scrabbling for purchase on his popcorn bowl as it almost fell to the ground.

“Where’s the fucking fire?” he muttered, and you smiled widely, pinching his cheek.

“Are you going to Thirteen’s album party next month?”

“I’m still dating the bassist so yeah, probably,” he said, heart still pounding from nearly losing his snack. Then the words registered and his eyes narrowed. “You’re going?”

“I think so?”

“Don’t do anything stupid.”

You rolled your eyes. “Thanks, Hiro. It’s been like a year and a half since Atlantica, but why not beat a dead horse some more. You wanna use my stick? It’s still pretty new.”

“I’m being serious,” he said sharply. “HB’s different from here.”

You fought the urge to tell him that you’d already been to a party in Hollow Bastion, and though he was right in regards to it being vastly different from Destiny Islands, it still wasn’t as bad as the things you’d gotten up to in Atlantica. But he didn’t know and you’d only gone with the explicit promise that Vivi wouldn’t breathe a word to his boyfriend that you were there, something that he’d very reluctantly done while muttering about transparency and honesty in relationships. It was a pointed speech you’d waved away, promising him that it was better Hiro didn’t know.

You just smiled sweetly, an expression that didn’t soothe him one bit as you flounced past to run down the stairs. “I’ll be good, I promise,” you called to him, and then just because you couldn’t resist, you tacked on, “Scout’s honour.”

When he finally figured out just why that sounded so familiar, you were already out the door, squashed beside Olette as Hayner’s mother drove you to the school, Olette smiling secretively as she showed you the mickey of vodka she’d hidden in her purse. She quickly snapped her bag closed, leaning past you to call out the window,

“Bye, Hiro!”

The tense figure in the doorway was familiar, maybe more than you wanted it to be, and although there was a tiny whisper that you shouldn’t be breaking the tenuous trust between the two of you, you pushed it aside in favour of refollowing Axel on Instagram, your stomach fluttering with butterflies. It didn’t mean anything, you told yourself, unable to stop smiling as you saw he’d messaged you almost immediately. 

New Message: +5557813289  
You gonna slide into my DMs tonight?

You were older now. Smarter. You wouldn’t fall back into old habits, and you didn’t need him holding your hand to try and guide you back from whatever edge he thought you were flirting with. 

Sent to Sky Boy:  
Good luck! You guys are gonna kill it

Seb was a shadow in your past, Riku a faded memory now. You were ready to walk forward. 

~*~

Tidus’s knees shook as he peeked between the curtains, biting back a pathetic whimper as he took in the crowd. “Why doesn’t this get any easier?”

“Only idiots feel fear,” Roxas snapped, but his jiggling knee betrayed him.

“Tell me you’re holding,” Tidus begged, looking pleadingly at Riku, but he shook his head, jerking his head at Mr. Chase’s turned back as he spoke with Sora for the fiftieth time about how fantastic the food drive for the Pride Lands was going. 

“Just chill, man.”

“Easy for you to say. You don’t have to see these people on Monday. You get to keep your legacy of ‘tall, silver, and handsome’ and no-one can say shit—”

“Mr. Zanarkand.”

“…no-one can say goof.” Tidus’s nose wrinkled. “Doesn’t sound the same.”

“It gets easier after a while,” Sora said with a grin as he wandered over.

Tidus rolled his eyes. “Why would I believe you?”

“Would a goof goof in the goof?” Riku just managed to stifle his laugh as Tidus squinted at Sora, who just gave him a cheesy wink and smile.

“Good luck, guys!” Dale called, almost fainting when Riku looked his way. The tiny junior fumbled with the cords just long enough for the boys to quickly scramble into place, Tidus hissing at Riku to get off stage ‘for the big reveal’ just in time as the curtains swept open.

“I LOVE YOU, KINGDOM HEARTS!” Olette yelled at the stage, bursting into laughter as several freshman in front of her took her enthusiasm to heart and started screaming and shrieking with glee for all they were worth once they saw the three seniors on-stage. 

“Where’s Wakka?” Selphie stood on her tiptoes to try and catch any glimpse of her childhood friend, muttering under her breath about freakish freshmen that were taller than her. 

You also couldn’t see hide nor hair of the tan, redheaded Blitzballer on stage, but you shrugged. “They’re probably going to introduce him. Tidus lives for drama.” Your expression turned coy as you elbowed her. “You should know.”

Tidus smiled at the crowd. “Hello Destiny High.” You snorted. Guess he resigned himself to that opener, then. “We’d like to ask you to welcome a very special guest to the stage…”

“See? Now Wakka’s going to come out,” you said with a grin.

“Who’s gonna come out?” Wakka asked, materializing behind you. You blinked at him.

“Wait, what are you doing down here—” 

A collective inhale rippled through the crowd and then 90% of the crowd in the gymnasium cheered so loudly that you swore a few of them were going to start foaming at the mouth. Riku walked on stage and your world slowed to a stop, your mind reeling as you watched him. You’d forgotten how tall and broad he was. He looked…different. Calmer, more settled, a mischievous spark in his eye tempered with a maturity that subdued the normally cocky air he held himself with. When did he get a haircut? He looked _good_ with that haircut. 

Selphie’s hand found yours and she squeezed hard enough to jerk you back to the present, her angry pinch from before devolving into a manic grip that almost hurt. “Holy shit, your ex looks _fine_.” 

You nodded mutely in agreement, unable to look away as his eyes swept the crowd and met yours, freezing you in place. Any façade of distance between the two of you shattered when he gave you a tentative grin, hesitant at the edges and leaving him looking more lost and unsure than anything else. You couldn’t do the same, but weakly raised a hand and waved at him quickly all the same, something that destroyed whatever boundaries he’d put on himself and let his smile grow brilliant and free. Of all the situations you thought you’d run into him in, this was the last one. 

“Didn’t he graduate already?” Rai complained. 

“Your girlfriend doesn’t seem to mind,” you sniped back, burning once you realized how quickly you’d come to his defense. Luckily Rai didn’t comment, more preoccupied with the lovestruck expression Fuu was trying to tuck away as she looked anywhere but the stage. 

“We’d like to open with a song Riku wrote with a special someone in mind, and we hope you enjoy,” Tidus continued over the crowd, his eyes finding yours and then quickly looking away as he smiled into his mic. 

Selphie’s hand squeezed impossibly harder as she muttered what sounded like “holy shit” over and over under her breath, squirming with glee as she tried to compute how utterly romantic this entire situation was. You tried to look anywhere else on-stage, tried to avoid him as much as you could, but you still found yourself subconsciously drawn to his face no matter what. You didn’t know if it was a blessing or a curse that each time, he was looking back at you, the same shy, hopeful smile on his face. It should have made you feel warm, but instead nausea rolled through your stomach as you tried to figure out how months of silence had led to this.

Tidus dragged what looked like the world’s smallest keyboard towards him, lips silently moving as he ran his fingers over the cords and the keys. With a quick glance at the other boys he cracked his knuckles and then began to play, two ghostly notes floating through the air that wavered. Somewhere in the crowd Rai was grumbling about not being able to dance, but he was quickly shushed by the rest of the crowd as they gently swayed from side to side.

Your body felt stiff; your knees locked in place as Tidus carefully stepped back, the looper doing its due diligence as he slowly swung his guitar back into place. You couldn’t move, couldn’t respond to Selphie’s lament that Tidus was ‘so hot whenever he wasn’t saying something stupid’. 

“ _I'm going back to 505 if it's a seven-hour flight or a forty-five-minute drive. In my imagination you're waiting, lying on your side with your hands between your thighs…_ ” Mr. Chase started to walk on-stage when Dale, either accidentally or entirely on purpose, tripped him with a well-placed cord that sent him stumbling to the side as he nursed his ankle, hissing at the boy to cut the music. Dale pantomimed a few lackluster hand-motions at Chip, who feigned confusion and instead turned the amp up louder. The shimmering chords Sora strummed blanketed the gym, sending a shiver down your spine. 

“ _Stop and wait a sec. Oh, when you look at me like that, my darling what did you expect?_ ” Roxas was nodding his head along as he played, his cowlick gently bouncing with the motion as his eyes slid to half-mast. Of all the people on-stage right now you wanted to catch his eye the most; surely he’d have an answer for what was going on and why it was happening that didn’t involve a lengthy, idealistic speech about true love and destiny, one that you’d heard many a time from Sora and, surprisingly, Tidus as they spoke of their romantic lives (or lack of, in Tidus’s case). “ _I probably still adore you with your hands around my neck or I did last time I checked._ ” 

“You okay?” Hayner elbowed you roughly, and you jolted, rubbing at your sore arm as he winced an apology at you. “You’re kinda pale.”

“I think I just need some air,” you mumbled, you voice lost beneath the music.

“ _Not shy of a spark. A knife twists at the thought that I should fall short of the mark; frightened by the bite though it's no harsher than the bark. The middle of adventure, such a perfect place to start._ ” Tidus’s fingers danced lightly across the strings of his guitar, a lilting melody spinning through the gaps of Sora’s guitar.

“What?”

“I need air,” you shouted, trying to wiggle your way through the tightly packed bodies.

“Want me to go with you?” You shook your head, but something in your face had him looking, torn, at the stage before he combed a hand through his hair, following after you with a hand attached to your elbow. “Get out of the way!” he yelled at a few dense sophomores, reaching his arms around you to bodily remove them as they squeaked and stumbled over themselves. 

His steady body against your back calmed you somewhat, reassuring you that at the very least you were hidden by it. It didn’t matter that Riku had spent most of the performance focussed on his bass, coolly dancing in place, you could still feel the lingering edges of his eyes on you. 

“ _I'm going back to 505 if it's a seven-hour flight or a forty-five minute drive. In my imagination you're waiting, lying on your side with your hands between your thighs…_ ”

Finally struggling free of the bodies packed like sardines in the gym, the sound of guitar drew your attention back to the stage, and you felt near tears as Tidus played, curved over his guitar as the shoddy lights caught the streaks of sunshine in his hair, turning them into spun gold, his face composed, serene as he let it fade, arm floating through the air. Then he turned, inhaled deeply and perhaps anticipating this from the absolute madness they had brought to battle of the bands, the energy in the gym shifted and crackled, pure lightening as he belted out,

“ _But I crumble completely when you cry!_ ” 

The whooping and whistling drowned out Mr. Chase’s weak bleats about why on earth were they still performing a song that held a number of unsavoury references, the teenagers sparkling with joy and sweat as they danced. Your legs buckled as you broke down, your hand clapped over your mouth as the other frantically sought out Hayner’s to steady yourself.

“ _It seems like once again you've had to greet me with goodbye! I'm always just about to go and spoil a surprise take my hands off of your eyes too soon…_ ”

“What— what’s going on? Are you okay?” Any other time Hayner’s panic would be hilarious; his clumsy attempts to comfort you as he wrapped an unsure arm around your shoulders should’ve had you giggling as he babbled about not having any napkins on him, but if you gave him a second, he could find you some. But was it really okay if he left you alone for a little bit?

“ _I'm going back to 505 if it's a seven-hour flight or a forty-five-minute drive. In my imagination you're waiting, lying on your side… with your hands between your thighs and a smile!_ ”

“I have to go,” you gasped, hiccupping around your tears and he nodded unsurely, guiding your weeping body out the gym doors and down the cool hallway. The music chased you outside, and when you turned for one last look at the stage everything _hurt_. They looked happy, whole, complete. The final piece sliding into place and smoothing over whatever jagged edges you’d left in your wake. The careful distance they’d maintained between you and Riku was all too evident now, the side they’d chosen to stand on plain for everyone to see.

You knew that anybody else would be swooning at the idea that Riku wrote a song for you, trying to make amends, to extend the olive branch. An invitation to start over, a love letter filled with how much he’d missed you and thought about you, but it only left you cold. For it to be displayed so openly like that cheapened it, somehow – made it insincere. You knew right now there was an unspoken “your move” hanging between the two of you, but you didn’t want to take part. 

On stage, Tidus and Sora were dancing, Sora’s head practically ricocheting with the sheer force behind each bob, Roxas was a blur of hands and gleaming metal, and Riku…well Riku was scanning the crowd, his mouth a downward slash, a harsh difference from the rest of his friends. 

The door clicked shut, and you walked away. You could still hear the muted cheering once you were outside, Hayner parking the two of you on top of a table as he busied himself with patting his pockets. Procuring a joint, he offered it to you, but you shook your head, watching him light it with detached interest.

He gave you a gracious ten seconds of silence, thick plumes of smoke drifting from his mouth when he asked, “You wanna talk about what just happened?”

“Not really.” You looked past him at the blitzball dome, losing yourself in refracted sunset that danced across the track. 

“Alright.” He inhaled, tapping his finger against his knee. “I know it’s none of my business, but if you’re still not over pretty boy, maybe you need to tell him to back off. Or get Roxas to.”

“Not an option,” you sighed, wishing you could wrap the sunset around you and fade into the sky. Anything to ease the sharp ache inside you.

“Trust me, he’d love to do it,” Hayner laughed. Your disinterested hum made him fall silent, gently tapping the ash onto the ground. You could feel him watching you, the hard stare making you feel antsy as you struggled not to squirm too much. “You know you can talk to us about stuff.”

“Stuff?”

He waved his hand vaguely in the air, joint bobbing between his lips as he searched for the words. “Just…stuff.” You snorted and he muttered, “You know what I mean. Like me, Pence, and Olette we’re your friends. We’re here for you and all that.”

“You’re so sentimental,” you teased, trying to fight through the uneasy emotion welling in your chest as you poked his cheek. Your finger scraped along the uneven stubble he’d missed, and you considered for a moment before plucking the joint from his mouth and pressing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. He hesitated for a moment and then leaned in, his free hand cupping the back of your arm. There was nothing said once the two of you broke apart, foreheads still touching as you looked each other in the eye.

“…yeah, I got nothing,” he admitted ruefully, rubbing the back of his head as you shrugged just as sheepishly.

“Same. Worth a shot, though?” He chuckled, stubbing his j out on the table. 

“You wanna go back in?”

“In a minute. You can go without me.” He scrutinized you and then shrugged, patting your shoulder before ambling back inside. You idly pulled out your phone, skimming through Instagram, opening snapchats, wondering who on earth you could call to speak to when the majority of your friends were indoors, dancing with wild abandon. Your thumb hovered over your call list, lingering over Axel’s number as you furrowed your brow. It didn’t make sense how you were constantly ping-ponging back and forth between these two boys, but here you were. A tiny voice whispered that you were choosing to run from one to the other, and that settled it; you locked your phone, cursing yourself for even entertaining calling him. 

There was nothing for you inside except a night spent with a smile slapped on your face, dancing to music that did nothing but remind you of simpler times, trying to avoid the boy you once called ‘home’ as the people around you spouted nothing but praise and admiration for him. You were forever the outsider, the interloper whose time had come to an end, no matter how many friendships you cultivated. The ugly maw of loneliness opened wide and swallowed you whole, and you began the long walk back to your house.

~*~

“They cracked 500.” 

Demyx hooked his chin onto Cloud’s shoulder as he stared at the screen, grinning. “No shit! They’re getting pretty popular now.” With a dramatic twirl of his silk bathrobe, he waltzed away, rummaging through the cabinets as he hummed under his breath. Tinny cheering and screaming filled the apartment, Cloud laughing under his breath as he watched Sora nose-dive onto the floor after trying to crowd-surf, the shaky hands of several teenagers giving out beneath him.

A long, loud groan wafted over from the couch, “You always do this shit when I’m hungover.” Axel mashed a pillow over his face, his entire body bouncing on the couch as Demyx sat heavily on it.

“You could always go home,” Demyx said through a mouthful of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Axel threw the pillow at him.

“This isn’t your apartment either, dumbass.” Demyx shrugged and continued eating.

Cloud rolled his eyes, scrolling through the rest of Kingdom Hearts’s Instagram. “You could both go home. I still don’t know why you guys came over since you live right beside the bar.”

“Because we had to bond! As a team! As a BAND. FOR the band, you know?” Demyx said while waving his hand around as Axel muttered incoherently, massaging his temples.

“Put your fucking spoon down before I gut you with it,” the redhead snarled, wiping milk off his face for the third time. 

Demyx gave him a cheesy grin, slurping up the dregs in his bowl with gusto. “How you feeling, bud?”

“I feel like shit.”

“You look like shit.”

“Fuck you too, eh?” 

“Here.” Cloud launched a bottle of aspirin at Axel’s head, smirking when it smacked him in the forehead. “And reply to Cruella already, will you? She needs that guest list finalized by tonight.”

“Why’s she getting so worked up about it? The drop’s a month away,” Axel muttered, struggling with the cap for a moment.

“Just do it, man,” Cloud said sharply. His bedroom door clicked open, and his overnight guest wandered out, glowering at the loudmouthed occupants in the room. “Hey.”

“Hey,” he said, scratching at his stomach, leather jacket clutched tight in one hand. “Last night was fun.”

“Yeah,” Cloud said, smiling faintly. “I’ll walk you to the door.”

“I’m good. See you around?” Cloud made a wordless noise of affirmation, exchanging a brief grin with his guest. The handsome stranger nodded once at Demyx and Axel, both men a frozen tableau, Demyx’s mouth wide open as Axel watched the door click shut behind a pair of long, lean, legs.

“How the fuck did you find time to pick someone up last night?” Axel sputtered, as Demyx shouted,

“YOU NEVER TOLD ME YOU WERE BI.”

Cloud shrugged and continued scrolling through Instagram. “He came over after you guys were passed out.”

Axel paused, taking a gulp of water. “…yeah okay.”

“Okay? OKAY? We’re not going to talk about the fact that we just saw Squall motherfucking Leonhart walk out of this goddamn apartment?” Demyx was outraged, his spoon clattering across the kitchen floor as he accidentally flung it to the side. 

“’Kay, that’s enough. You guys need to leave,” Cloud said, standing with a groan as he stretched and cracked his back. He grabbed Demyx’s outstretched arm and yanked him up, not even bothered by the fact that he was forcefully shuttling his friend out when he was clad only in boxer briefs and a floral printed robe, his jeans and shirt a messy bundle in his arms. 

“SQUALL. MOTHERFUCKING. LEONHART,” Demyx screeched right before the door slammed shut in his face. Axel was already pulling out a pair of sunglasses, cigarette bobbing between his lips as he searched for his lighter. “How is your mind not blown?” 

“No smoking indoors!”

Axel lazily saluted the snippy neighbour down the hall, ushering Demyx towards the elevator as his friend hopped around trying to pull his pants on. “Just let him fuck who he wants to fuck, man.”

“What about bisexual solidarity and bonding and all that shit?” Demyx grumbled, but Axel ignored him, resting his head against the elevator wall. Outside, he squinted and swore, glad for the sunglasses and aspirin that were slowly working its way through his system. 

“Hey, Dem. You bringing Zex to the party?”

“What? No. …maybe. Not like that, though.” Demyx slung his tee around his shoulders, tugging on it with both hands. “The honour student might be too busy studying to care about the drop-out’s life.” The robe billowed out prettily behind him, the colours iridescent in the afternoon sun.

“Tell me how you really feel,” Axel laughed, patting his friend on the back. “You think Cloud’s bringing the kids?”

“Roxas would straight up murder you if he knew you were calling him a kid.”

“He’s already on my list.”

“Oh. _Oh_. Ohhhhh…” Demyx grinned wickedly. “Why, you wanna bring your lady love?”

Axel lit his neglected cigarette. “I already am.” He blew a cloud of smoke in Demy’x face, grinning as he coughed out a “Rude!”

“You know Vivi’s bringing Hiro, right? You sure it’s a good idea?”

Axel took another drag, scraping the bottom of his shoe off on the curb. “Dunno.”

“You’re the worst, you know that?” Demyx sighed. “Does he know you’re trying to bone his sister? Because something tells me he wouldn’t be down for that.”

Axel thought back to the winter break, to the many, many times Hiro had seen him wind an arm around you, or tousle your hair, or, occasionally, throw food at your face and he shrugged. “He could be.”

“Are you ever going to say more than three words at a time, or should I just go fuck myself right now?”

Axel laughed and ground out the butt of his cigarette, exhaling slowly as he started to walk, Demyx keeping pace beside him. “Just wondering how likely it is her ex will be there.”

Demyx rolled his eyes. “Riku? Knowing you’re there? Slim to none. You’ve got nothing to worry about.” He laughed as he gulped in a lungful or fresh air. “He probably doesn’t even know about it.”

~*~

“THIRTEEN IS HAVING AN ALBUM DROP PARTY.”

Riku flinched, holding his phone at arm’s length as Sora continued to yell. “Sora, calm down.”

“Cloud said he gets to bring five people, and he already asked Aerith and Zack, but Zack is back on duty so he can’t go and Aerith wants to see him off, so he told me that he’s going to bring me and I can bring somebody, oh and I think ma told him to invite our cousins or whatever, so they might be there too, which is super cool, and Roxas is going and I think I can bring Tidus too, but I really don’t know I should probably go ask him, unless you think that’s too much, but Ti will be CHEESED if we all get to go and he doesn’t get to, and I think it should be okay as long as he apologizes for the Pizza Pop incident this summer or maybe he can just buy Cloud more pizza pops or like maybe even make them from scratch or something?”

“…Sora. I have no idea what you just said.”

“Do you want to go? To the album party? It’s going to be goofing NUTS.”

Riku snorted, tapping his pen on his desk as he considered it. “Who else is going?”

There was a moment of silence on the other end, and then Sora quietly said, “She was invited too. I know that’s what you really want to know.”

Riku tossed his pen onto his desk, flipping his textbook closed as he sighed heavily. “You sure it’s okay if I’m there?”

“Of course! I mean, it should be.” Sora hesitated again, and then gave into Riku’s unspoken question. “We haven’t spoken about you. She didn’t say anything about the song or you and I don’t think it’s a good idea to bring it up.”

“…alright.”

“To be fair I don’t really see her that much anymore either,” Sora admitted, his sigh heavy and weary. Riku could picture him chewing on his thumbnail, worry creasing his brow. “I don’t know if something happened, but sometimes it feels like she’s avoiding me. I’m pretty sure Rox is the only one that hangs out with her regularly anymore, but even then, it’s not a lot.”

“It’s fine,” Riku said, lying through his teeth. “I’ll see her when I see her.”

“Ri…”

“Promise. How’re you and Kairi doing?” Sora’s voice perked up, rattling off stories about how they’ve been talking more and making plans to see each other a few weekends from now, but Riku found it difficult to focus on what he was saying, his mind eternally drifting back to you. He hadn’t seen you at all the past weekend, despite maybe lingering outside his house a little more than he normally would, hoping he’d catch sight of you even if just for a moment. He felt like he still had so much to say to you, to explain to you, and it was maddening that he didn’t have the chance to do so. 

Sora had talked him out of texting you, once against displaying that careful maturity and consideration for others’ feelings that Riku was convinced he should have after the summer, pointing out that you’d made it very clear you didn’t want to be bothered.

Maybe this party would be the perfect time to talk to you, to catch up and mend until he could selfishly hold you in his arms again. Sure, it wasn’t exactly like he was spending every hour pining after you (the gaggle of girls he’d met would attest to that), but there was a distinct gap in his life that he knew could only be filled by you. He wanted you here, in this tiny room, sitting on his lap and dozing on his shoulder as he studied, filling every crevice and corner with your smile and warmth. 

He missed you. He loved you. Loves you, he corrected with a wince. His phone chimed and he pulled it away from his ear, Sora’s chatter still steady as he read the **whatcha up to tn? ;)** on his phone. “I’m glad things are good,” he said without thinking into the phone. “Hey, Sora, I actually gotta go. This essay’s kicking my ass and I really have to finish it…”

Sora chirped his sympathies and his goodbye, hanging up with a parting, “You got this!” Riku opened the chat, thumbs pausing as he wondered if this was one of those moments Aerith would fix him with her steady, green eyes and ask him again if he was just using people as a band-aid for his own insecurities. _Too late_ , he thought as he texted back, **nothing, you?** , smirking when the response immediately popped up.

**Come over?**

He replied with a thumbs up and closed the app, freezing when he saw the photo of your group from Halloween, smiling up at him from the background of his phone. He’d stared at it more than he liked over the past few months, wishing and hoping and dreaming that he could see your face light up like that one more time. 

But now?

His brow knit as he remembered seeing you leave with Hayner, his arms protectively curved around you as the two of you darted from the gym.

Later that night he quietly slipped out of bed, leaving the girl beside him peacefully dreaming as he dressed himself. It wasn’t until he hit his phone to check that time that he recalled with a rush of regret that he still had your face beaming at him, making him feel sick as he tiptoed out of the room. 

He changed it as soon as he got home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was gonna edit and post this last night, but instead I apparently decided to take a nap that turned into a full on sleep. My bad, guys... Also, there's nothing like dropping continuous imagery throughout a story solely for the sake of one song. Did I hammer in the repeated 505 address enough?!
> 
> Gird your loins for this album drop party. "It's gonna be a rager, brah." - Tidus


	20. Undone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Song here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHQqqM5sr7g)

Thirteen were a bunch of pretentious, douchey hipsters, of that Tidus was certain.

It didn’t matter that they were all some of the chilliest, coolest guys he knew, it didn’t matter than he finally buried the hatchet with Axel (reluctantly, drunkenly, and tenuously), and it definitely didn’t matter that Cloud was Sora and Roxas’s older brother.

What did matter was the minute he stepped through the door he was surrounded by a sea of other pretentious, douchey hipsters, because they flocked together and travelled in droves. 

“Seriously! Does anybody ever wear anything other than black?” He tugged at his tee, the sunshine yellow and smiley face on the pocket making him stand out like a sore thumb.

“Say that a little louder. I don’t think the people at the back heard you insult them,” Roxas muttered, hiding his face behind his cup as he drank. Ginger ale, of course, because Cloud had refused to get them wristbands based on principles he’d never exhibited before. 

“But actually. Is it a rite of passage or something? Look at Riku – they’re already in the process of brainwashing him.”

Riku rolled his eyes and lightly punched Tidus in the head. “It’s a shirt. Calm down.”

“Yeah, a _black_ striped shirt. And _black_ pants. And _black_ boots. …hey where’d you get those pants from, though. They’re dope.”

“Why do you care so much about what I’m wearing? I thought you said you were only coming to scope out girls,” Riku jabbed, and Tidus frowned.

“I’ve literally seen one girl here, and she looked like she’d cut my balls off for fun and laugh while doing it.”

Roxas blanched. “Was she blonde?”

Tidus nodded vigorously. “Yeah. She’s hot, but she has mad crazy eyes.”

“Oh fuck,” Roxas breathed, and tried to duck his head even more. “I didn’t know Larxene was gonna be here.”

Sora slowly smiled as realization dawned, and he burst out laughing. “No way. Seriously? Do you think she remembers that you put Manic Panic in her shampoo?”

“Sora!” Roxas hissed sharply, warily looking around. “Shut up!”

“What was it again? Sunset orange?” Sora giggled. “Worst looking ginger I’ve ever seen.”

“Yeah, well, she shouldn’t have fucked Axel over like that.” Despite the hard note in his voice, Roxas still pulled the collar of his shirt up, trying to turtle inside it.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Cloud asked, amused as he tugged Roxas’s shirt back down.

“Trying not to die.”

“…sure. You guys good?” Sora nodded eagerly, beaming from ear to ear as he unleashed a torrent of praise and good cheer as Tidus and Riku stared on, the former disturbed, the latter trying not to laugh. “Cool. We’re supposed to play soon, so if you want a good spot you should probably head over.” He leaned in conspiratorially and murmured, “There’s an afterparty at the Lift Stop later if you guys want to come.”

Tidus’s eyes gleamed, the prospect of prowling around a university party infinitely more interesting than the stuffy one they were currently at. “Oh, hell yes.” 

Cloud ruffled Sora’s hair, flicked Roxas on the forehead and told him not to be weird, and then moseyed his way towards the front of the room. At a moment an older woman stepped on stage, her face heavily made up, her white hair coiffed in a way that screamed ‘money’, in case the expensive looking silk dress she was wearing wasn’t getting the point across.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to thank you for attending this event in celebration of such new, impressive talent.” Her voice, deep and throaty, did little to temper the way she looked at the crowd, as if she couldn’t wait to wring every bit of money from them. “We hope you enjoy this sneak peek of their upcoming album. A reminder that we do have merchandise available for sale at the back, and I hope you choose to show them your support by perusing it.”

“That’s the nicest way of guilting people into buying merch,” Riku scoffed, seizing Sora by the shirt as he tried to beeline for the table. “He’s your brother, Sora. I think he knows you support him.” Sora protested for a few minutes and then, after taking inventory of the sorry state of his wallet, was reduced to muttering obscenities under breath that still sounded suspiciously like ‘goof’. 

Demyx bounded on-stage, his face flushed and arms akimbo as he cleared his throat noisily, basking in the cheers and whistles that permeated the air at his arrival. “Are y’all ready to paaaaaaartyyyyyyy?!” The thunderous applause that met him had him smiling wide, his eyes nearly shut from the force. 

The rest of Thirteen meandered on, laughing and ribbing on Demyx, their banter lost to the crowd that was still clapping and stomping their feet. “Ugh. I gotta take a piss.” Tidus peeled himself off the wall and wandered off, hands shoved in his pockets. 

“They’re about to start!” Sora yelled, but Tidus waved him off, disappearing into the crowd. “That goofing goof,” Sora muttered, pouting as he turned back to the stage. The boys were relaxed, loose-limbed and chipper as they quietly spoke to each other. The casual way they held themselves almost gave them an air of nonchalance; it was as if it was just another show, just another party they were playing at and not an even celebrating their success. It was enough to drive Riku mad, seeing how cavalier they were being, as if they’d always expected this to happen.

He tried to settled the surge of jealousy as they slowly quieted, Axel winking at the crowd and grinning as they cheered in response.

“What a dick,” Riku muttered under his breath. Sora pretended not to hear. Cloud started to play without any warning whatsoever, Vivi and Demyx hopping in soon after. As Riku watched Vivi, wondering what make and model he was using and if he could afford something like that, someone stumbled into his shoulder. His lip curled, ready for a fight, but the glazed, glassy eyes and facial scar stunned him out of his anger.

“Seifer?”

Seifer grinned, pupils blown wide as he clumsy clapped his hand against Riku’s. “ _Hey brah, how we doin' man?_ ”

Riku arched an eyebrow. “ _All right._ ”

“ _It's been a while man, life's so rad!_ ” Seifer nodded, clearly not caring if Riku agreed or not; Sora stifled his laughter behind a fist as Roxas whispered something at him. The older boy adjusted his beanie, loopy smile on his face as he wavered slightly to the side. “ _This band's my favorite man, don't ya love 'em?_ ”

No, Riku didn’t, actually; but Seifer was too far gone and he really didn’t want to open that can of worms right now when the twins were within earshot. He took a vengeful gulp of his drink, reluctantly gritting out, “ _Yeah,_ ” as he crushed the plastic cup in his fist.

The crinkle of plastic caught Seifer’s attention, double finger guns floating up. “ _Aw man, you want a beer?_ ”

Riku shrugged. “ _All right._ ”

Seifer fumbled around for a bit and then pulled an unopened bottle from his back pocket (Sora had a suspicious coughing fit) and shoved the slightly warm beverage into Riku’s unwilling hand. “ _Aw man, hell brah, this is the best. I'm so glad we're all back together and stuff_.” He clinked his bottle against Riku’s, even as the silver haired boy just stared at the bottle wondering how the hell he got into this situation. “ _This is great, man._ ”

Shrugging, Riku twisted off the cap and took a healthy drink as Sora made a noise that sounded not unlike a rusty wheel beside him. “ _…yeah._ ”

“ _Hey,_ ” Seifer pushed at his beanie again, tufts of peroxide blonde hair poking out from underneath. “ _Did you know about the party after the show?_ ”

“ _Yeah._ ” Seriously, when was he going to leave?

“ _Aw man, it's gonna be the best, I'm so stoked!_ ” Seifer clapped a clumsy hand onto Riku’s back, high-fived a startled Sora and shot Roxas double finger guns as the drummer made a face that looked like he’d just eaten an entire lemon, and then parted with a, “ _Take it easy, brah!_ ”

“Was that Seifer?” Tidus approached your group cautiously, like he was nearing a pack of wild animals. Granted, a friendly Seifer might as well be the equivalent of a rabid dog what with the bizarre behaviour.

“Guess he took your dumpster drinking bonding to heart. How’s your butt beer?” Roxas asked with a smirk.

“Whatever,” Riku muttered, drinking more of the butt beer. His eyes roamed restlessly over the crowd. Didn’t Sora say you were going to be here? Reluctantly, he looked at Axel, assuming that if anybody was going to know exactly where you were it’d be him, but the redhead was the perfect rock star, eyes shut as he lightly held the mic, crooning,

“ _I'm me; me be. Goddamn, I am. I can sing and…hear me; know me._ ”

“See?” Tidus said with a pointed jerk of his head, “Pretentious, douchey hipsters.”

“ _If you want to destroy my sweater hold this thread as I walk away._ ”

“ _Hey, what's up?_ ” Riku blinked, startled at the tiny blonde woman that had sudden materialized in front of him, Roxas’s background snipe of, “Well, look who’s mister popular?” barely audible above the guitars. 

He took another drink of the butt beer out of reflex. “ _Not much._ ” He stomped not so subtly on Tidus’s foot; its owner was gaping at the girl before him, unashamedly checking her out from head to toe. In his defense her long, braided hair and sparkling peridot eyes were only emphasized by the smooth expanse of skin on display, her yellow crop top and coffee coloured shorts leaving little to the imagination. In her navel a diamond sparkled, winking invitingly and drawing everyone’s eye. 

She smiled cutely, tilting her head to the side as she linked her hands behind her back, taking a step closer to Riku as Tidus wiped a string of drool from his chin. “ _Um…did you hear about the party?_ ”

She smelled sweet and warm; like a desert flower in full bloom, the promise of a refreshing oasis nearby. Riku smirked, mirroring her head tilt. “ _Yeah._ ”

Emboldened, she closed the distance and twirled a strand of hair around her finger, looking up at him through her lashes. “ _I think I'm gonna go but, um, my friends don't really wanna go. Could I get a ride?_ ”

“Yes!” Tidus gasped out, like a man dying of thirst. She looked at him and he swore his heart stopped, all the blood in his body rushing to his stomach as his fingers and toes went numb. He cleared his throat, and smacked a suave smile on. “Of course you can.”

“I don’t have room in my car,” Riku said bluntly, flashing an apologetic smile at Tidus’s wet dream incarnate. “Sorry.”

“That’s okay,” she said before Tidus could squeak out something inappropriate, like that she could sit on his lap if she wanted. With a flick of her hair she turned to walk away and then looked over her shoulder, grinning at Tidus as she said, “Nice shirt.”

“ _Oh no…it go. It gone; bye-bye (bye). Who I…I think…I sink…and I die!_ ”

Tidus’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he watched her sashaying hips, voice strangled as he said, “Who the hell was that and where have you been hiding her?”

“Just some girl I hooked up with.”

“No, that’s not just ‘some girl’, you goddamn Neanderthal. That’s a _goddess_.” Tidus finally looked Riku in the eye, jealousy and admiration a dangerous cocktail in his eyes. “Sometimes I hate how good looking you are.”

“…thanks?”

Tidus stood on his tiptoes, futilely looking for another glimpse of the goddess. “What’s her name?” he breathed with a reverence that Riku almost laughed at, if not for the flush that covered his face as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.

“…”

Roxas instantly perked up, a picture of cherubic innocence that Riku didn’t buy one bit as he asked, “Sorry? What was that? I think I misheard you.”

Riku took another swig for liquid courage, and gritted out, “…Rikku.”

The smile on Roxas’s face could’ve put Sora’s to shame, but the demonic glee behind it put it worlds apart. He was snorting, fruitlessly trying to stifle his laughter. “Wait, you hooked up with someone who has the same name as you? Talk about narcissism—”

“Fuck off, man.”

“ _If you want to destroy my sweater hold this thread as I walk away._ ” Riku turned back to Thirteen, deciding for the moment that staring intently at his rival was infinitely better than dealing with Roxas, especially with the complete and utter nonsense spilling from his mouth like, “Wait, so whose name do you say in bed?”. He had other things to worry about. “ _Watch me unravel, I'll soon be naked lying on the floor. Lying on the floor! I've come undone._ ”

Where were you? Pushing his way through the crowd didn’t appeal to him, but it bothered him that he hadn’t seen you at all since he’d arrived. It wasn’t like it was a big venue; surely it shouldn’t be this hard to find you? If he was being honest with himself, he wasn’t sure if he was disappointed or happy that you weren’t here. Axel smiled, a viciously smug look that had Riku looking away. He knew there was no way Axel could see him, tucked away at the back of the crowd as he was, but it still burned. He looked…triumphant. Like he was preening, posing, the beast slain at his feet as he accepted the glory and praise he was due. Riku snorted, vindictively wondering if fame had gotten to his head already.

The guitar ripped through Riku’s chest, the display of virtuosity drawing reluctant admiration from him as Axel and Demyx leaned forward and sang, “ _If you want to destroy my sweater hold this thread as I walk away. Watch me unravel, I'll soon be naked lying on the floor. Lying on the floor! I've come undone._ ”

Demyx was doing his best Night at the Roxbury impression, pearly whites flashing as he repeated the chorus, Axel’s voice soaring over his friend’s.

“ _I don't want to destroy your tank-top! Let's be friends and just walk away. Hate to see you lying there in your Superman skivvies…_ ” Roxas choked violently on his drink, coughing and wheezing as Sora rubbed his back, concerned.

“Is he good?” Riku asked, trying not to laugh. 

Sora looked puzzled, absentmindedly patting his twin on the back. “I think so? He just said, ‘Clark Kent looking motherfucker’ and started laughing to himself.”

“ _Lying on the floor. Lying on the floor!_ ” Axel’s chest expanded, testing the limits of his form-fitting black v-neck as he bellowed, “ _I’VE COME UNDOOOOOOONE!_ ” With a whip of his long hair, he slammed his hand against his guitar, nearly falling to his knees as he played (“Drama queen,” Tidus hissed). Cloud was red-faced, his arms a blur as he played, Roxas whooping and jumping in the air as he watched. Only Vivi and Demyx, surprisingly, were relatively composed, vocalizing along as their lead singer had what Riku mutinously decided looked like a hissy fit in between them.

Axel’s head slowly rose, his guitar wailing a few lone notes, kicking a cord out of the way as he breathed heavily. Demyx disappeared off-stage, and Sora claimed later he saw him pushing past an irritated Cruella, marching over to the piano tucked in the back and banging his hands randomly on the keys, strumming his fingers along the strings for good measure as Cruella inflated to twice her size with rage. He was cut off with a sharp clack as an older man sporting a fedora and red tie firmly shut the lid, and pushed the inebriated guitarist back on stage to laughter and the delight of the crowd. 

“…okay that was pretty jokes,” Tidus grudgingly admitted, darting out of the way of the crowd stampeding to the merch stand. After the fifth person that shoved past him, barely throwing an apology over their shoulder, Tidus had enough. “I think I’m good. Lift Stop?” The other three shrugged, Riku placing his empty on a table the unspoken signal to move out. Stepping out into the fresh air should’ve been a relief after the swampy atmosphere inside, but Riku found himself forgetting how to breathe when he saw you off to the right, laughing with Olette. His eyes drifted to the rest of your group, Hayner making him grimace a little, but he conceded that he rather it be Hayner than Axel. His curiosity piqued at the sight of a slight blonde standing beside you, and he wracked his brain for why he looked so familiar, and then—

“VEN!” Sora darted forward and slammed into the older boy with the force of a small hurricane, nearly knocking the two of them into the street. “I can’t believe you’re here! Has Cloud been nice? Is he feeding you? You sleeping okay?”

“You sound like your mom,” Ven chuckled, holding the other boy at arm’s length as he sighed. “I can’t believe you’re almost as tall as me. Jesus. Puberty really screwed me over.”

“Cry me a river,” Roxas said good naturedly, joining the impromptu family reunion with a quick side-hug. Ven’s frown deepened, accusatory as he asked,

“Okay, seriously. What’s in the water here? How the hell are you my height?” 

Roxas waggled his eyebrows obnoxiously. “Flatten your hair and I bet I’m taller than you.”

“Where’s Vani?” Sora interrupted, impatiently grabbing Ven’s arm. “I thought he was coming with you? Does he not have reading week?” 

“Van said he had to stay behind for school or business or something. I didn’t really feel like asking…?” Ven trailed off, and you held up a hand.

“Wait, who’s Van? Vani?” 

Ven slung an arm around Sora as he continued to whine about missing Vani-wani, noogie-ing him until he squawked. “He’s my twin. Apparently Nibelheim twins are a phenomenon that transcends borders and generations,” he said with the air of someone who had heard the same speech many a time. 

You grinned, mirth glimmering in your eyes. “Ven and Van? Seriously?”

“My parents were going through a Latin phase.”

“How exactly does one go through a Latin phase.”

Ven shrugged, pinching Sora’s nose between his fingers as the younger boy flailed. “I don’t know. Watch Life of Brian on repeat, maybe? Our full names are actually Ventus and Van—” 

“LIFT. STOOOOOOP.” Demyx wolf howled into the air, arms flung wide. Sora jumped, his surprised shout nasally. Demyx stumbled over to your group, his mohawk in disarray as he drunkenly grinned at all of you. “Y’all ready to go? You ready for the time of your life, Venny-boy?!”

“Demyx, leave my cousin alone and get in the damn car,” Cloud said, forcefully grabbing his bandmate by the back of the shirt and dragging him to the black SUV that had Tidus’s eyes nearly falling out of his head. “Ven, you coming?”

“Yeah!” Buzzing through his goodbyes, he darted off, slipping into the back seat with a promise to see you all at the party. Riku gathered the courage to move his feet, each step an exercise in discipline as he fought the urge to turn and run away. It had stung how you’d blatantly turned your back on him, preoccupying yourself with speaking to the twins, but now that Ven was gone maybe you’d talk to him?

“Yo. You coming?” Or maybe not. He felt like he was trapped in quicksand with how hard it was to turn his head, to look at Axel with one foot in and one foot out of the car, arm resting easily along the top of the door as he looked at you. Oh. You guys were still talking. He looked over at Hayner, who was engrossed in conversation with Pence, and his eyes widened. He was wrong. He’d been so stupidly wrong. His heart stuttered to a halt as he realized with a start that there was nothing going on with you and Hayner and if you were here now because of Axel, well then…

“I’ll go with Hayner,” you called back, and Axel saluted you, winking. 

“Cool. See you there.” He disappeared into the SUV and it peeled away, quickly disappearing around the corner. Your eyes briefly caught Riku’s and he opened his mouth to say something, _anything_ , but then you averted your gaze almost as if you’d been burned.

“We’re gonna head over now. See you soon?” Sora nodded and hugged you tight, not stopping until you burst into a fit of giggles and told him to let you go. When Hayner’s car was gone in the same direction as the band’s, Riku grabbed Sora’s shoulder with the heavy hand of someone who had just put two and two together.

“You knew she was here this entire time,” he stated, simply and to the point. Sora didn’t deny it, but he had the decency to look mildly repentant as he nodded slowly.

“The tickets Cloud got us were for the VIP section,” he explained carefully, fighting to keep from looking away, “but I told him we were gonna pass.” 

“Because you knew she was going to be there?”

“I didn’t think it was a good idea.”

Riku gnashed his teeth, his temper rising as the weight of the missed opportunity fully sank in. “You don’t get to decide that, Sora.”

“I didn’t. She did,” Sora shot back, voice sharp enough to cow Riku into silence. “She never brings you up, and she still hasn’t said anything about the song. I think it’s pretty clear she doesn’t want to see you.”

“Can we please go somewhere with booze before you guys continue your little lover’s spat?” Tidus groaned, staring up at the sky with his hands shoved into his pockets.

Riku grunted out a, “Whatever” and stalked off to his car, his bad mood increasing ten-fold. It was hard enough trying to get his feelings across to you without his friends interfering. _What if he’s right_ , a voice whispered in his ear. _What if she doesn’t want to hear what you have to say? What if she doesn’t want anything to do with you?_ …alright, fine. If you were so set on cutting him out of your life, who was he to deny you? 

Did he want to? No. Absolutely not. The entire twenty-minute drive to the Lift Stop he spent it warring with himself about what was right and what was wrong, reluctant to move into the dubious shades of grey that accompanied relationships and break-ups. But if it was what you wanted, wasn’t it enough? Shouldn’t he be the bigger person and concede to you? Shouldn’t he be good and keep his distance until you were nothing but a faded memory of warm summer nights and the whisper of something more? 

Riku parked down the street, listlessly carrying the six-pack that was their entrance fee to the party and joining his friends in the short line to the front door. He unthinkingly pushed the beer at Setzer, muttering a, “here”, only coming back to reality when a firm hand on his chest stopped him. 

“Sorry, party’s full.” Riku jerked his head up to look in the impassive face of the frat boy before him, his friends gaping from just inside the doorway. Setzer quietly watched the exchange, tucking the beer into the massive cooler beside him that was almost spilling over with alcohol. 

“You let them in.”

Lex pushed him to the side to wave in a few more people. “Rules are rules.”

“And you just let them in,” Riku seethed, a foreboding feeling filling his throat.

“C’mon, Lex. What’s the deal?” Roxas asked, pushing back outside and flipping off the indignant girls that stumbled to the side. 

Lex fixed him with a look that Riku noted with unwilling awe would have sent a lesser man cowering and spewing apologies, but Roxas held his ground. “Rules are rules.”

“Let him in,” Setzer grumbled, leaning back in his chair as he grabbed a drink. “There’s no way he can meddle.”

Riku flinched, gritting his teeth. “Meddle with what?”

Lex looked at Setzer, his eyes narrowing as he slowly repeated himself, each word heavy and clear over the wash of music and laughter coming from just inside. “Rules are rules.”

“Fuck your rules, man,” Roxas grumbled, jerking his head in a clear indication that he had a plan. Sora and Tidus quickly scrambled after the two of them, Tidus steering as clear as he could of Lexaeus’s massive forearms, head bowed in unwitting deference. Setzer raised his drink in a toast, a mocking smile on his face as he watched their group descend the rickety stairs.

Tidus cast a furtive look over his shoulder at Lexaeus still standing guard at the door, an impressive Cerberus in the light that spilled from the house despite the distance between them as the boys hit the shrubbery. “That guy is terrifying. What exactly are we doing here?”

“Sneaking in,” Roxas replied calmly, kicking a foot through a hedge and disappearing behind it.

“Oh, good. If I’m going to die, why not get my head crushed to a pulp by that massive monster?” Tidus groused, but following his friends all the same. “Let’s go poke the bear and see how long it takes until he roids out and kills us.”

“That’s not the front door.” Tidus’s complaints came to a sudden stop, his eyes peeling from the back of Sora’s dirty shoes up to what he would later claim was “a literal angel”. “Are you guys trying to sneak in?”

Roxas bristled, carefully picking through his thoughts, but coming up blank as he reluctantly admitted, “…maybe.”

“Hm.” The angel smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. 

“Cloud’s our brother!” Sora piped up from the back, peeking past Riku’s shoulders and she laughed.

“Then I guess it’s alright then. I’ll sneak you in the rest of the way.” Then in a devastating move, she stepped forward and plucked a leaf from Tidus’s hair as his face burst into flames. “Gotta get rid of the evidence,” she whispered cheekily, then whisked away.

“I think I’m in love,” Tidus croaked. 

Thirty minutes and two shots later, Tidus was still nursing his beer, boring holes into the wall with the intensity of his gaze. Roxas flicked a bottle cap at his head, huffing when it didn’t even get a reaction. “Tidus, man, get over it already.”

“No way. Did you see her? Literal perfection. It was…” He fumbled for words, gesturing uselessly in the air. “It was love at first sight. Do you know how rare that is? I’d let her ruin my life.”

“Not that rare if you’re always thinking with your dick,” Roxas mumbled. “You called Rikku a goddess like an hour ago.” He smirked at Riku. “Not you, pretty boy.”

“Fuck off.”

“Yuna’s an angel,” Tidus insisted, eyes bright with adoration as he recalled with fervour how cute her hair was, the startling uniqueness of her heterochromia, and the way her body moved with such skill and grace, the effortless control of a dancer. He chugged the rest of his beer, winced, and swiped the back of his hand across his mouth. “I gotta find her.”

“Don’t be a goddamn idiot. What’re you going to say? ‘Hey Yuna, wanna come over? I only live 45 minutes away with my mom and my asshole dad. By the way can you pay for the ride there? I don’t have a part-time job and, oh yeah, I’m still a high school senior,’” Roxas said, jolting up when Tidus ran off anyway, shoving impatiently past some irritated adults. “Tidus!”

Sora hopped off the counter, cracking his knuckles with a sigh. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t get beat up.”

“Great,” Roxas muttered, slouching back down. “Leave me with the emo kid.”

“Coming from you that’s a compliment,” Riku shot back, and Roxas sneered. 

“How’d you get in here?” Both boys cut murderous eyes towards the interloper, who remained unfazed at the sheer vitriol pouring in his direction.

“What do you want, Xaldin?” Roxas growled, animosity flaring tenfold. 

“I’m curious. I thought Lexaeus was given clear instructions to let you know that you weren’t welcome here,” Xaldin said, his cold eyes fixed on Riku alone. Riku shrugged mutinously.

“Not my fault your buddy’s threatened by me.”

“Threatened?” Xaldin smiled, forced and bitter, looking for all the world like he was in the presence of two slugs he’d had the misfortunate of stepping on. “I assure you he’s anything but. Your faux confidence is amusing considering everyone knows Axel pinched your bird and could probably kick your head in with ease.”

Roxas laughed, loud and sarcastic and Riku felt a tiny flare of gratitude. “’Pinched your bird’? ‘ _Pinched_ your _bird_ ’?! C’mon, man. You spent four months in London, not four years. You’re not fooling anyone with that fake-ass Harry Potter-wannabe bullshit.” 

“Yo, XALDIN.” Whatever the dark haired man had been about to say (and Riku had no doubt it was going to be devastating, if the animalistic rage that had appeared in his eyes was anything to go by) was cut short by Demyx drunkenly waving a hand back and forth as he yelled from across the kitchen. “Xemmy wants you to be his partner for beer pong!” There was a rumbled complaint of, “Don’t call me ‘Xemmy’, you peon” that Demyx blatantly ignored, turning instead towards Cloud and yelling that they needed to be partners because of ‘reasons’.

“This party sucks,” Riku muttered, staring sullenly at the contents of his cup and Roxas chuckled.

“Of course it will if you keep sulking in the corner all night.” He poured the two of them a healthy shot, making a face as it burned down his throat. “C’mon, you sulky bastard. Let’s go socialize.”

Riku socialized. 

Barely.

Okay, maybe he got over his surly funk sooner that he’d admit, Roxas’s surprisingly aggressive insistence that he has a good time working faster than either of them anticipated. He was warm, there was an impressive amount of beer and liquor running through his veins, and he’d displayed an impressive talent at flip cup as Rikku eyed him up and down, and maybe it didn’t hurt that now she was leaning against the wall as he hovered over her, his hand on her waist as she tilted up to whisper something provocative in his ear. 

“I’m so sorry I’m late!” Riku’s attention was piqued, a thought swimming through the molasses in his mind gently nudging against his subconscious that he should recognize that voice.

“About fucking time!” Demyx shouted, voice slurred and accompanied with a loud rattle as someone shouted at him to watch where he was going. “Thought you were gonna bail.”

Axel’s voice floated over. “Good to know you still like me.” A tinkling laugh filtered through the air and Riku turned around, ignoring Rikku’s annoyed whine. He shook his head a little bit. Tidus was right. That was kind of weird.

“We’re family. I think I’m stuck with you.” Riku looked just in time to catch a flash of red hair disappear through a doorway, and he abruptly pulled himself away from the grasping girl before him. 

“I’ll be back in a sec. Just…wait here,” he said, not even looking at her as he walked away. Right. He’d wanted to say something to Kairi, wanted to make sure she was going to treat Sora the way he deserved. When he rounded the corner, his face fell; she was nowhere to be seen. Only a set of familiar blonde hair was there, and he pushed through the crowd. “Hey. Roxas.” Riku grabbed the blonde boy’s shoulder and blinked in confusion. “Roxas...?”

Not-Roxas pointed a finger at himself and very slowly said, “Ven. Tus.” Riku shook his head.

“Whatever. Have you seen Roxas? Or Sora? Or,” he hesitated and then pushed past it, “Kairi?”

Ventus, who was in the middle of grumbling something along the lines of, “Sure, it’s not like we’re two totally different people or anything,” sighed and said, “I think they’re over there.” Riku tore off in that direction without a second thought, rounded the corner and then nearly ran face-first into…you.

You both stumbled back a step, unable to hide the surprise and panic flying across your faces as you awkwardly eyed each other. You averted your gaze and he frowned. “You’re not talking to me at all now? Hi, by the way.”

“Okay, it really hasn’t been that long since we broke up so—”

“Four months is a long time.” His phone, clutched in his hand, went off and Rikku’s name popped up along with a **where are you?** , a few broken heart emojis tacked on for good measure. You tensed and sneered.

“Maybe for you. Good to know you’ve been keeping busy.” Your heart felt like it was lodged in your throat, and you tried to look anywhere but him. 

“You don’t get to say that. You haven’t tried to talk to me once,” he shot back, shoving his phone away as he flushed.

You looked back at him, mouth in a thin line as you hissed, “Because I didn’t want to! And then you pulled that stunt with the song—” 

“STUNT?!” His raised voice drew a few curious glances, and he lowered it as he leaned down to heatedly whisper, “Sorry for trying to apologize.”

“If you’re sorry then say it to my face!” You stood taller, shoving your face near his as your eyes narrowed. “Don’t say it in front of a room full of strangers that have no business knowing what’s going on between us.”

“You just said you didn’t want to talk to me.”

You sputtered and he eyed you smugly, crossing his arms as he looked down at you. “That doesn’t mean the next step is airing our dirty laundry for everyone to see! You get to leave the islands and dick around with whoever you want. I’m stuck there and I have to deal with people whispering about me and the bullshit you thought was a good idea every single day!” 

You were close enough he could see every single lash lining your eyes. You were close enough he could smell the perfume you wore, lingering underneath the smoke and booze clinging to the walls of the party you were at. His anger gave way into something more, something heated that made him lick his lips. You were close enough that he could kiss you.

“Okay, that’s enough.” Someone abruptly pulled you away, and Riku blinked, confused, at the sudden loss of warmth and the steady weight of a hand on his chest keeping him at bay. You were still seething, clearly not affected by whatever magnetic pull he’d had towards you, and then his rage returned tenfold once he registered who had interrupted. 

“This is none of your business,” he snapped, the smirk unfurling on Axel’s face fanning his temper even more. Axel’s hand dropped from his chest only for his arm to curl a little more around you, pulling you flush against his side and for a heart-stopping moment Riku recalled the damn photo he’d seen of the two of you. 

“Never said it was.”

“Hey. Haven’t seen you in a while.” Through the buzzing in his ears, Riku managed to register that someone was speaking to him, and he mutely turned to look at Hiro. “I thought you were gonna move in for a while there.”

Riku snapped his eyes forward, fighting the urge to scream as he watched you return Axel’s gesture and wrap an arm around his waist. “Yeah well, things change.”

Hiro’s eyes flicked back and forth, and he slowly walked forward until was halfway between the two of you. “Alright? Did something happen between you guys?” You shrugged angrily, and stared stubbornly at the wall as your fingers flexed against Axel’s hip. A light dawned in Hiro’s eyes, information rapidly falling into place as he eyed you this time, resolutely trying to catch your gaze even as you avoided it. “…when did you guys break up?” Hiro asked, clearly confused and distinctly unhappy as he stood in the space between you and Riku.

Really? Seriously? Was he only upset that you hadn’t told him what happened? If Riku had been angrier, he might’ve pushed the older man out of the way, maybe yelled something about how he wasn’t even fazed at the sight of Axel all over you, wrapping you up in his arms and comforting you as if he wasn’t the snake you needed to watch out for.

“Axel? Riku? What’s going on?” Oh, great. Let’s add to the clusterfuck. Kairi appeared at your side, and he watched, confused, as she squeezed your arm and whispered what looked like, “Are you okay?” at you. You didn’t reply, but evidently something in your eyes made up her mind for her, and she silently jerked her head at the back door. Axel took the hint and ushered you towards it, his hand on the small of your back and something in Riku snapped. 

“Since when are the two of you such good friends?”

“That’s none of your damn business,” you yelled back, twisting in Axel’s grip to shout back at him. 

“Don’t tell me it’s because you and Axel are fucking for real now.” A sharp gasp rippled through the crowd, and silence fell in the kitchen as Riku’s face heated. 

“What did you just say?” Hiro was staring venomously at him, but the curiosity in his eyes could not be masked as everyone froze. Part of Riku wanted to laugh once he noticed he was surrounded on all sides by people dressed in black. Tidus would have a field day if he saw this right now. 

“You didn’t know? That your baby sister hooked up with Axel?” Hiro slowly turned to look at the man in question, only to be met with a blank stare. Neither of you said a word, your lips in a thin, tight line as you slowly shook your head without looking away from Riku. Dimly he knew what he was doing was vaguely stupid and wrong, but the pieces of him that hurt were howling in pain, screaming for justice and to make you hurt just as much as him. He didn’t understand it. He didn’t get how he’d given you so much and tried so hard only for you to take a step back and leave him stumbling into the unknown alone. 

“Riku? What’s going on?” A tan arm looped through his, fingers slotting between his own as Rikku leaned her head on his arm. Your face closed off even further, and as if that was all the confirmation it took, Hiro’s face relaxed and he sneered. 

“I knew I didn’t like you for a reason. Seriously. Lying to try and ruin her life while you’re off fucking anything that moves is low even for a scumbag like you.”

“Lying?” The word stuck in Riku’s throat. “You think I’m lying? You think you know about the shit that happened in Atlantica, but you don’t have any idea—”

“Neither do you, asshat, so I suggest you keep your mouth shut before I shut it for you,” Hiro interrupted, eyes dark. “You weren’t there, so don’t act like you know what you’re talking about.” Behind Hiro’s shoulder he could see a flicker of hurt race across your face, angry tears making your eyes glossy as you stared him down. 

Your jaw clenched and for a second it looked like you were going to swallow down whatever hurt was trying to make itself known, but then you steeled yourself and spat out, “It’s not your story to tell.”

Axel pulled you closer to him, murmuring something in your ear, and without hesitation you turned into his chest, letting him shield you as he led you towards the door. “Get rid of him,” Axel called over his shoulder, and then the two of you were gone. 

“Time to go,” a low voice rumbled, and Rikku yelped as Lexaeus pulled the two of them apart, easily pushing her to the side.

“Sloppy.”

“What an asshole.”

Riku’s ears burned as the people around him cast him sidelong glances filled with disgust, his chest clenched as he heard them whisper behind their drinks, most of them not even bothering to lower their voices.

“Hey, don’t touch him!” A hand swatted at the tight grip Lex had on his shoulder, and the sight of Sora pushing Lex’s arm away felt like a breath of fresh air in the otherwise stale room. 

“Who let the kid in here?” Someone grabbed at Sora’s shirt. “Stay out of it.”

“Mar, you asshole! Don’t fucking touch my brother!” Roxas shouted from the back of the room. Riku snarled and he lunged at Sora’s aggressor, blue eyes widening under pink hair as he made contact. 

Shoving him away abated the angry animal inside him for a moment, and that’s what Riku would blame when he punched Lexaeus in the jaw as he tried to wrap a thick arm around his neck. Somebody started screaming, but he barely heard it above his heartbeat pounding in his ears as he took a blow to the chest that left him gasping for air. He struggled for a moment and then headbutted the taller man, following up with another closed fist to his nose that had Lex stumbling back and gritting his teeth.

Sora yelped something from behind him and Riku turned, stomach lurching when he saw Sora prone on the ground, fists slamming into his face. He started forward but was jerked back by a painful grip in the back of his shirt and a foot to the back of his leg. A blur of yellow tackled Marluxia to the ground as the people around them scattered, and Tidus struggled to keep the older man’s hands pinned as he practically screamed, 

“KICK HIS ASS, RI.”

He didn’t need any more urging, and he gladly turned and roared, body checking Lex so hard he went stumbling back into the wall, knocking the wind out of him once more as Riku fell onto him with fists and feet, his teeth gritted as sweat slid down his cheeks. His knuckles were split and sore, he could feel a bruise blossoming across his ribs, and he knew his nose was bleeding the minute Lex got a hit in, but every passing second, he lost himself in his anger and he started to not care.

Watching you walk away didn’t hurt as much when the rest of his body ached.

Tidus dragged him off of Lex, Sora was woozy and clearly concussed as he stumbled out the front door, and Riku had to yell at Roxas twice before he abandoned the struggle bat he’d been hitting Marluxia with as somebody Riku vaguely deduced must be Larxene screamed obscenities at him, held back only by the non-threatening end of the bat pointed in her face by a decidedly threatening individual. They somehow went tearing down the street, pausing once they rounded the block to catch their breath as Sora slumped limply against a parked car. 

“My head is fucking killing me,” he whimpered, and then leaned over to the side and promptly emptied his stomach.

“Oh. Jesus,” Roxas whispered, clumsily patting his twin on the back as he dry-heaved. “You’re good. You’re okay.”

“What just…how did that even…” Tidus pointed a shaking finger at Riku. “How the hell did you lay out a linebacker like it was nothing?”

Riku gingerly touched his chest, hissing as he took stock of the split knuckles on his hand. “Dunno.”

“Great. Just great. We’re all going to die; there’s no way they’re going to let us back in this goddamn city ever again.” He tugged futilely on his hair, restlessly pacing back and forth. “We’re dead. Done for. Fuck this bullshit. I’m never ever, EVER coming back here ever again—”

“There you guys are.”

Tidus froze, his hand slowly falling as his hair wilted in relief. Yuna stepped forward (Tidus would later claim she floated over), and pressed the bag of ice to his swollen lip. “You ran out so fast it took me a while to find you.”

She quietly offered Roxas a bottle of water and he gratefully accepted, coaxing Sora out of his puddle of vomit and offering him a few sips.

“What’re you doing here?” Tidus blurted out, and she smiled, pressing the ice back to his face, her hand soft against his. “I wanted to make sure you guys were okay. It was bad of them to try and fight you guys like that.”

Part of Riku wryly wondered if she was only here because it was blatantly obvious that three of them were clearly not university aged, but Tidus was lost, pressing his free hand against hers. “I love you.”

She laughed lightly, but made no move to remove her hand. “Okay.”

“Seriously.” He clasped his hands in hers, looking at her earnestly. “You’re my forever.”

“Mmhm.”

“I’d die for you.”

“Thank you?”

“I’d…” his expression went starstruck for a moment, voice thick with the effects of alcohol returning full force now that his adrenaline was receding. “I’d fight my dad for you.”

“Mm-mm,” Roxas said, arching an amused brow. “Too far.”

“Tidus,” Yuna began, but Tidus brushed the hair from her face and her voice stuttered to a halt, unable to protest as he slowly leaned in and kissed her. He swore fireworks went off at that moment, was convinced he floated a good three inches off the floor. His lip didn’t even sting as he melted into the soft feel of her lips against his, and for a few glorious seconds he forgot where he was. 

They pulled apart, and Roxas had a Cheshire grin on his face as Sora moaned, “Not again. I don’t want another Selphie repeat.” 

Yuna flushed and carefully took a step back, lightly pressing her hands against Tidus’s chest to keep him at bay. “I’m glad you’re okay. But I can’t…I really have to go now.” She darted past him and he turned, calling after her,

“How can I find you again?” Yuna gave him a sweet smile, pressing her lips together as her hands linked behind her back. She paused, conflict flickering on her face, and then her voice drifted over, warm and lilting.

“Ask Ven.” Then she was gone, leaving Tidus with a wistful expression on his face as he clenched his fingers into a fist, the ice melting and dripping down his knuckles.

“Holy shit. Holy shit, did you guys see that?” 

Roxas snatched the melting ice from his hand and pressed it to the bruise spreading across his cheekbone, still smirking. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Who knew you actually had game?” He considered for a moment, and his grin grew wider. “Seriously, though? You’d fight your dad for her? Talking about daddy issues on the first date, huh?”

“Shut up.” 

Sora groaned, his head between his knees as the water trickled uselessly from the open bottle onto the pavement below. “Time to go,” Riku sighed, hoisting his best friend up. 

“RIKU!” Rikku practically bowled into him, sending Sora stumbling uselessly into a car as he was pushed to the side. “Are you okay?”

“How did you even know we were here?” Tidus yelped, jerking forward when Sora yanked on his shirt for stability. 

“Yunie told me.” She flapped her hand impatiently at the confused expression on their faces. “She’s my cousin.”

“No. Not right now,” Riku said with a stern look, effectively shutting Tidus up and wiping off the keen expression on his face. “Sora’s fucked right now and we need to deal with that before you start creeping.” 

“Your hand,” Rikku murmured sympathetically, linking her fingers in his and bringing it up to her face to inspect. “They were such assholes.” She brushed her lips across his bruised knuckles, and a shiver wracked his body in spite of himself. 

“Yeah, they were.”

“Come over and let me take care of you?” He was swallowed in a sea of green and blonde, her soft pout promising more than just ice and bandages. 

Tidus grimaced. “No, yeah, that’s chill we’ll just sleep on the street or something.” 

Riku cast a cursory look over at his friends, and Roxas shrugged, one of Sora’s arms draped across his shoulders. “I can drag this dumbass back to Cloud’s, but he’s gonna end up taking Tidus’s spot and if you’re uh…’busy’ at yours...”

“Hey, man, don’t let me cockblock you or anything,” Tidus said, raising his hands. If Riku could’ve hit him without hurting his hand more, he would’ve.

Reluctantly he pressed his dorm keys into the other boy’s hands, pulling out his phone while he did so. “Don’t say I never did anything for you,” he muttered, quickly calling an Uber. Tidus smiled wryly, and leaned in to quietly say,

“Don’t act like this is some huge favour for me.” Riku looked sharply at him, but there was no animosity in the other boy’s eyes, just a glimmer of what looked like smugness and reluctant understanding. Maybe he was being a hypocrite, losing himself in someone else’s bed after the scene at the party, but right now all he wanted to do was forget.

“…thanks.” He wrapped a hand around Rikku’s and tugged her towards his car. “Where do you live again?”

Unbeknownst to the boys licking their wounds and parting ways, they had two very interested witnesses to their activities just sitting across the street, hidden in the shadows on a porch. Any quiet commentary they had was swiftly unseated when Tidus hopped into his uber, Roxas and Sora disappeared into another one, and Riku left with his lady in tow, her giggle permeating the quiet night air as he sped off down the street. 

“Wow.” There was a pregnant pause. “You good?”

You were biting your lip so hard you were drawing blood, but the coppery taste flooding your mouth and the sharp pain were muted by the roaring in your ears, your mind and heart a mess of emotions as you struggled to figure out just what the hell you saw. 

“I can’t believe he just—” You had to stop as the tears made your voice thick, breath shaky as you tried and struggled and just refused to show how much it had affected you. “What a fucking hypocrite,” you spat out bitterly. “I can’t believe he’s running his mouth about us when there’s nothing going on, and he’s off just. Just…” Your throat closed up, hands trembling as you cried. 

“Hey.” Axel wrapped a soothing arm around you, comforting in spite of the heavy summer heat still lingering in the night air. “Boys are assholes.”

“Yeah, no shit,” you ground out, hiccupping through the words. You let your head fall heavily on his shoulder, your tears soaking into his t-shirt. “For once it’d be nice to have someone actually say what they mean, you know? I mean what kind of person says they’re trying _so hard_ to get you back and then fucks off with someone else?”

Axel hummed in acknowledgement, pulling you a little closer. “An asshole.”

“I just don’t—and he never even tried to reach out before and what, now he expects everything to be okay? Because he wrote a song about it?”

“Total asshole.”

“Say asshole again, why don’t you,” you grumbled, burrowing your face into his shirt sleeve. You felt more than heard the chuckle that rumbled through his chest.

“Asshole.”

“Seriously?” You propped your head up on his shoulder, a faint smile on your face despite everything that had just transpired, one he easily and readily returned as he looked you in the eye. Something shifted. Something made the lack of distance between you far too obvious. Something had your body humming with energy that seemed to direct itself solely to your stomach and the space between your thighs. You wanted him to kiss you. You could feel his breathing getting heavier, smell the sweetness of his mouth calling you, and you wanted to taste it. 

The front door slammed open and you jumped a foot in the air, nearly falling down the steps. “It’s bad enough I have to deal with your animals on a weekly basis and those hedonistic gatherings you insist on hosting, but now you’re trespassing on my property too for some sad, vapid excuse of courtship?”

You blinked blankly at the angry man above you, his long blonde hair knotted around his face and his narrowed green eyes framed with dark shadows of someone who has lost several hours of sleep. “I’m…sorry?” you squeaked out, nearly blown over again by the sheer frostiness in his gaze.

“Sorry? You’re sorry? Sorry doesn’t even begin to come close to the detrimental effect your idiotic conversation has had on my psyche you simpering, snivelling, mmph!”

Axel stood with lightening speed, one large hand covering Vexen’s face as he all but shoved the other man back through the open door. “Leave us alone.”

“But. What. I. This is MY house—“ 

Axel snapped and pointed towards the door. “Goodbye.” There was a lot of cursing, a lot of threats, a lot of insistence that this was obscene and he would be hearing from the housing tribunal, and then Vexen was gone, disappearing down the hallway as he fiddled with his earplugs and muttered insults under his breath.

“That was…interesting,” you ventured, and he chuckled, the two of you swiftly erupting into laughter that was probably making Vexen feel more mutinous by the minute. You didn’t care, your eyes tearing up for another reason now as your shoulders shook with glee, chest painful from the sheer hilarity of the situation. When your giggles finally settled down into the occasional spurt, you shifted so you were leaning a little more into Axel, one arm draped across his lap and the other looped behind his back as you looked up at him.

“What’s up?” he asked softly, smirking in the dim light.

Your throat went dry. “…nothing.”

“Really?” He all but purred as he spoke, a hand ghosting up the back of your arm. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you wanted me to kiss you right now.”

You squeaked, undignified, but didn’t move.

“So, do you?”

You licked your lips. His eyes followed, hungry and heated. “Do I what?”

“Do you want me to kiss you?” Axel’s voice lowered, his face slowly moving towards yours. You nodded slowly, mutely, and his lips were a hair’s breadth from yours when he asked, “What about what happened earlier?”

“What about it?” You pressed your mouth against his, swallowing his noise of surprise as you fisted his hair. He felt so good pressed against you, his mouth working against yours, the taste and feel of him on your tongue driving you wild as every single nerve on your body screamed for more. You moaned against his mouth, hands fluttering from his hair to his neck to his shoulders to his back, then starting over again as you felt the firm muscle warm under your fingertips. You needed more of him against you, needed to feel him against every inch of your body. 

“You sure about this?” he panted, reluctantly tearing himself away from you. 

“ _Yes _.” You gripped your hands in the front of his shirt and crashed your mouth on his once again.__

__“Fuck. Jesus. _Fuck_ ,” he groaned, and hastily stood, pulling you up with him. “Let’s go.” You quietly stumbled after him as he led you back to the Lift Stop, ignored the confused and knowing looks partygoers were giving you as the two of you practically raced upstairs to an empty room. You dimly hoped Hiro didn’t see you, casting a faint smile in a shocked Kairi’s direction as her violet eyes widened. That was a problem for another time. The door slammed shut and Axel quickly bolted it, pressing you up hard against the door as he hungrily devoured your mouth, his lips branding the soft skin of your neck as he dipped lower._ _

__Your mind was pleasantly blank, everything focussed solely on how much you needed him right now, needed him to touch you, grab you, mould you—_ _

__His fingers slipped down your underwear and you saw stars._ _

__~*~_ _

__“Pretty sure posting a photo of a party you’re still at as a social faux pas.”_ _

__Ventus lifted his head, eyebrows arched as he looked at Demyx’s shit-eating grin. “What?”_ _

__“That’s like social media 101. You gotta make sure you do it the morning after so everyone knows just how much fun you had, Ven. Did nobody ever teach you this?” Demyx sat beside him on the couch, slinging an arm around the back of it as he leaned in. “And that filter, man, you gotta do better.”_ _

__Cloud rolled his eyes. “Demyx, stop hitting on my cousin.”_ _

__“Who, me?” The same smile was on his face, and Ven warily leaned away, nose wrinkled in suspicion._ _

__“Are you trying to neg me right now?”_ _

__Demyx’s smile grew wider. “Is it working?”_ _

__Ventus smiled brightly, tilting his head to the side in a devastatingly cute impression of a puppy. “Not even a little bit.” Demyx wilted as Ventus not-so-gently pushed him away, laughter rippling through his friends as they watched. “Anyway, I’m just doing this for Van.”_ _

__“Oh.” Demyx wilted a little more. “Is that your boyfriend?”_ _

__“My twin brother,” Ven corrected, making a face. “He bailed tonight because of school or work or some other lame excuse.”_ _

__Kairi sipped on her drink, Zexion silently braiding her hair. “What does he do?”_ _

__“Business? Things?” Ven shrugged helplessly. “He doesn’t go into detail much.”_ _

__She eyed the finished braid, and nodded in satisfaction. Zexion returned the gesture solemnly, and started working on a new piece. “And is he back home in Departure or is he at Spira like you…?”_ _

__“Nah. He’s based in Atlantica.”_ _

__Vivi looked away from the beer pong game he’d been heavily invested in, smiling brightly. “Hiro’s from there!”_ _

__Ventus grinned. “No way! Maybe you know him? Vanitas Lumen?”_ _

__Hiro slowly shook his head. “Nope. Doesn’t ring a bell,” he said with a slight frown. “Sorry, man.”_ _

__“Maybe (Name) knows him?” Vivi suggested, but Hiro shrugged._ _

__“I don’t think she ever mentioned him either.” Something creased his face with worry, and Vivi squeezed his arm, unsure._ _

__“You okay?”_ _

__“It’s fine, it’s a pretty big city and Van is usually wrapped up in work anyway,” Ventus said with a wave of his hand. “You guys probably didn’t run in the same crowds. He’s pretty gung-ho about his career. This,” he waved his phone around, “is my way of guilt-tripping him.”_ _

__Kairi leaned over and stilled his hand, smiling at the photo. “It’s cute.”_ _

__“Yeah,” Ven agreed, a warm smile on his face as he stared at his phone._ _

__~*~_ _

__Penthouses in Atlantica were hit or miss. Occasionally you’d get the opulence expected in places like Corona or Agrabah, walls dripping with gold paint and jewels, expensive furniture lining the walls, and enough art to fill any greedy curator’s coffer. Other times you’d get a glorified space, minimalistic and bare, a canvas asking to be filled with wealth that would trickle down and transform the rest of the sorry building. Vanitas lived in the latter. His penthouse was vast, stark, and as white as could be. With floor to ceiling windows, the place should have constantly been flooded with light, but the heavy curtains he drew across them did their job well. He didn’t live in a particularly good part of town; but then again, he wouldn’t be nearly as successful if he did._ _

__He’d done the building good, slowly transforming it piece by piece into something habitable, ridding the rabble and selecting the tenants he wanted. Sure, part of him was a little leery of his contribution to the casual gentrification of the neighbourhood especially considering what he’d come from, but he considered it a necessity. He needed a good cover. Nobody suspected the young man who was brimming with brilliance and a fine-tuned knowledge of real-estate had one hand in the light and the other firmly in the dark._ _

__Vanitas’s bed, though comfortable, did little to lull him back asleep when he woke up in the early hours of the morning, his phone screen covered in a slew of notifications. He lazily scrolled through them, scoffing when he saw the Instagram tag at 3:30am Ventus was responsible for. Seriously? He really wasn’t going to let him get away with skipping the party, huh?_ _

__Then he opened it, and his eyes widened._ _

__She looked familiar. She looked more coherent, he thought wryly, but definitely still familiar. In fact, there was almost no mistaking just who she was. He zoomed in on the photo, mulling his options over as he considered just how lucky he was that she’d just fallen into his lap like this. He quickly tapped to her profile, and hissed. Private. A few seconds later he found himself scrolling through Sora’s profile, wondering if maybe this was karma for muting his annoying cousin when he saw photo after photo of the two of you together. Still, he wasn’t going to take any chances. If Vanitas was anything, it was thorough. He was going to do this right._ _

__He grinned, sharp and cunning in the faint light._ _

__Just wait until Seb heard about this._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooooooo! Did I casually name drop Vanitas way earlier just for this moment? Yes. Yes I did. Did I expect y'all to remember? Not really? I'm just needlessly dramatic. 
> 
> Also kids, don't drink and drive. Riku is being dumb and reckless.
> 
> Next chapter will probably be in two weeks. :)
> 
>  
> 
> [Legit the only reason I put Vexen in this story.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7qd0wbV5dA)


	21. Ritz to the Rubble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Song here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvH08mnaHf8)
> 
> Not interested in gratuitous smut? Start reading again at "Axel lazily peeled".

He was fire incarnate. 

Sure, maybe it was a contrived thought, but in the moment with the way his hands were searing their way across your skin, it was the only thing occupying your mind. You couldn’t get enough of him, your body aching as you writhed against the mattress and all but begged him to touch you more.

“Axel, please,” you panted, back arching as his fingers danced across your pussy, dipping shallowly inside. Your clit was swollen and wet, you nearly drenching your underwear as he fought for purchase against your sex. 

“Oh…fuck,” he breathed against your ear, laying a litany of sloppy kisses along your neck that had your back arching for more. He latched his mouth onto a particularly vulnerable spot and you moaned, long and loud, your hips grinding uselessly against his thigh as he chuckled against your skin. “That really gets you going, huh?”

Opting not to speak, you none too gently tugged on his hair until he obliged and sealed his mouth against yours, swallowing every whimper that was tumbling from your lips as he slipped a finger inside of you. Axel pulled away, face flushed, eyes at half-mast as he watched your mouth slip open, a gasp stuttering from your mouth as his finger pumped in and out of your pussy. 

“You’re so fucking wet,” he muttered, pupils blown wide as the slick sound of him adding a second finger filled the room. Your hand trembled as it trailed down his chest, mouth eagerly finding his again as it slipped down to the front of his jeans, pressing firmly against the bulge there. You smiled as his breath caught, his back arching as he rolled his erection against the palm of your hand. “Shit.”

His hand faltered as you fumbled with the zipper, and stopped entirely once it slipped past his pants, past his underwear, and firmly wrapped around his cock. Your mouth pressed against the taut column of his neck as you whispered, “I wanna make you feel good too,” as you slowly pumped your hand up and down. You felt his hips jerk into your hand and the hum that shivered its way through your body made up your mind. Gently, you pushed him off of you, ignoring the confused gape of his mouth as he peeled his body off yours until he was sitting back, the wet head of his cock peeking eagerly out the top of his underwear. You swiftly tugged his pants and boxer briefs down to his knees, and then sealed your watering mouth around the top of his cock as he moaned, loudly.

“Oh _fuck_.” Axel’s hands curled into fists, knuckles white as you licked up and down the shaft, saliva obscenely slicking along it, your ass wiggling along happily in the air as you giggled at his reaction. You tongued up and down it, flicking along the ridge at his cock head and then finally, slowly, slid your head down. One of his hands found its way into your hair, tangling it in a tight grip. You hummed in approval and his grip tightened, his dick stiffening in your mouth as you bobbed your head up and down. The warm, heady taste of him was making you feel more intoxicated, the heavy weight on your tongue making it hard to resist gently humping into the mattress. 

His other hand cupped your ass, and you lifted your hips obligingly, moaning around him as he gripped and kneaded the soft flesh. His fingers slid to your aching pussy and you moaned louder, feeling him slide the tips along your soaking folds and spreading what he found there. Rewarding him, you took him as deep as you could, feeling the blunt tip brush the back of your throat.

“Wait wait wait wait stop,” he choked out, fingers flying from your body as he carefully eased you off. You pouted up at him, lips swollen and eyes glazed, body on fire. Axel’s chest was heaving, every muscle in his body tight as he looked down at you. “Fuck, don’t look at me like that.”

In defiance, you licked the tip of his cock.

“Slow down, baby girl. Or this is going to be over a lot faster than I want to,” he said huskily, pulling you up until you were face to face. His hands slid up your shirt and pulled it off, tossing it to the side. Your bra soon followed, and his thumbs brushed over your nipples, eyeing your breasts reverently. They didn’t linger long there, despite you pressing into his touch, and moved southward to tug your pants and underwear off as you lay back, kicking them off your feet and toeing your socks off. You lay before him propped up on your elbows as he surveyed you, hungrily eyeing every inch of bare skin. 

“Take your clothes off,” you commanded, the need burning inside your belly demanding and unrelenting.

He laughed, and arched an eyebrow. “Bossy, huh?” Your eyes narrowed, pussy throbbing at the cocky expression on his face, and in retaliation you slid your legs apart, relishing the way his eyes zeroed in on the movement. He stripped in five seconds flat, fingers deftly rolling a condom on before he caged you with his arms. The tip of his dick nudged against your inner thigh and you whimpered, the sound swallowed by the desperate movement of his mouth against yours as he kissed you, hard, tongue flicking sinfully against yours. 

He pulled away, one hand grabbing the base of his cock and lining it up with your entrance, his eyes bright and piercing. “You sure you want this?”

You arched fruitlessly against him, trying to grind down onto his dick. “ _Yes_.”

“I don’t want you to regret this in the morning.”

You huffed in frustration. “I won’t.”

He paused a moment longer, and you nearly screamed, your eyes slits as you looped your arms around his shoulders, nails lightly scratching across his back. “Axel. I won’t.” When he finally started to push in, your eyes fluttered shut, mouth dropping open at the full stretch, pleasure screaming through your body as he slid all the way in.

Axel panted above you and buried his face in your neck. “You’re still so fucking tight.” He slowly slid out and then rolled his hips to meet yours again, pushing a breathy “ _ah_ ” from you. His mouth was nipping and kissing along your neck, sending sparks rippling across your skin as you clenched around him. 

“Faster.” He obliged, his breath huffing against your ear as you keened, hands flying to his shoulders and then clutching at his arms, your nails digging into his biceps. “Jesus, Axel…!” He hit a spot that had you seeing stars, and you nearly screamed, his mouth quickly sealing against yours to swallow the noise as he moaned, quiet little noises that left your head reeling as your back arched, chest touching his. 

He was practically slamming into you at this point, a hazy part of your mind thankful that he was doing his best to muffle your noises as you writhed desperately underneath him, each sharp slap of his hips meeting yours punctuated with the slick noises of how wet you were. Abruptly he pulled out, and you nearly protested until he flipped you over, rearranging your jelly limbs until you were on your hands and knees. Teasingly, he brushed against your entrance, and you swore, trying once again to wiggle backwards until a tight hand stopped you. 

“You want it, huh?” he asked, voice husky and you swore you started dripping down your thighs.

“ _Yes._ ”

“How bad do you want it?”

Your face flushed at the thought of begging, but your pussy was aching and the heat and pressure of his dick pressed tight against your folds was almost enough to make you scream. “Fuck you.”

He laughed, rough and warm, his hand gripping your ass again. “That’s the plan. Come on, be a good girl and tell me how bad you wanna be fucked right now.” 

Your pussy flooded again and you moaned when he nudged your legs apart, settling between them licking a long stripe up your cunt. “ _Axel_.” 

His tongue flicked at your entrance, kissing his way around your folds, his tongue darting out to tease and make your body tremble as you fought to stay upright. His lips sealed around your clit and he sucked, gentle pulses of push and pull that had the last of your stubbornness flying out the window.

“ _Oh_.” You rocked back against his face, and he eagerly buried his face into your pussy, the sound of him eating you out making him groan. Your head dropped down and you mewled when you saw the tight grip he had on his cock, slowly stroking up and down. “Please,” you breathed before you could change your mind, “please – _ah_ – fuck me.”

Axel swiftly sat up, swiped a hand across his mouth and slammed into you, tearing a scream from your throat. You barely had time to catch your breath as he snapped his hips ruthlessly back and forth, the pace punishing as your arms gave way and you collapsed to your elbows. The new angle had you keening, hands scrabbling at the sheets as he bent down with you, flattening your legs out while littering kisses along your back. 

“You feel so good, baby girl,” he breathed against your ear and you could only moan in response, eyes glazed as he nudged his nose against your cheek until you turned and met him in a sloppy kiss. You fumbled for a moment before managing to squeeze a hand underneath your body, fingers pressing against your clit. The wave of pleasure that rolled across your body made your breath hitch, and you clenched automatically around him.

“Fuck, I’m close,” he said raggedly, going impossibly faster. “Oh _fuck_ I’m close. I’m gonna—” Axel tensed, arched, body tight as he jerked against you, burying himself to the hilt as he groaned. You could feel his cock twitching inside you and you bit your lip, grinding your ass as best you could against his. After a few breathless seconds he pulled out, turned you over, and before you could say a word his hands were pushing your legs apart and his mouth descending to once again lick its way along your pussy, teasing and sucking until you were coming undone and soaking the fingers he’d slid inside you. 

Axel lazily peeled the condom off, tied it, and flung it into the room in the general direction of the garbage can as he pulled you close to him. Your body was still shaking and jolting from the aftermath of your orgasm, your arms eagerly wrapping around his sweat-slicked chest as he lay down beside you. You eyed the room over your shoulder, nose wrinkling when you saw the condom had landed several feet short of the garbage and instead landed on a desk chair with clothing piled high atop it. 

“I think you—”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, voice thick as he lazily kissed the top of your head. “This isn’t my room.”

Taking in your surroundings, it slowly began to dawn on you that it did seem highly unlikely that Axel of all people would have a borderline obsession with Mumford and Sons, not to mention a series of botanical cross-sections papering his walls. Your brow furrowed at the slew of hair products littering the dresser including what looked to be the necessary implements to dye one’s hair pink. “Then whose…?”

The doorknob rattled and someone swore from the hall. “Occupied,” Axel called, the ease in his voice betrayed by how swiftly he hopped out of bed, throwing your clothes at you and tugging his own on. 

“What— _Axel_ , you motherfucker! Get the **fuck** out of my room!” Axel winked at you as whoever was on the other side of the door started bodily throwing themselves against it. 

“You ready?” Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed your forearm and tugged you behind him, quietly turning the lock and doorknob a split second before the next resounding thud. The door flew open and a blur of pink hair came flying through, stumbled, and then landed face first into the aforementioned pile of clothes. Neither of you bothered to decipher the slew of profanity and threats that spilled from Marluxia’s mouth once he realized there was a used condom an inch from his face, instead ducking out the door past an open-mouthed Demyx and quickly stumbling down the stairs and out the door. 

Racing down the street back to the safe haven of Vexen’s front porch, Axel wheezed with laughter, patting his pockets absentmindedly until he found his cigarettes. “I think it’s time to head out.”

You nodded mutely, suddenly sobered by a flutter of nerves in your stomach. Admittedly you’d planned on staying over at Axel’s, but that was before, well, before you’d tumbled gracelessly back into bed with him. Your lips pursed as you watched him call an uber, his expression relaxed and betraying no flicker of emotion as he hummed something under his breath. You had no idea where this was leading to. He seemed far more unphased than you; in fact, he didn’t seem to think that anything had changed. Swallowing the tense coil in your throat, you clasped your hands and waited until he looked up. 

“He’s two minutes away.” He took a long drag, and glanced down the road. You nodded mutely, and fumbled for your own phone just for something to do. 

**New message: Kairi  
????**

…that looked like a tomorrow problem, honestly. You stumbled slightly when he nudged you towards the uber, silently slipping in the back seat and wondering just how badly the regret was going to hit you in the morning. The slight buzz was cushioning the weight of whatever feelings were developing inside you, stifling the thoughts that were nudging at the back of your mind. Why did it matter, anyway? It’s not like either of you had discussed dating or really making anything more of what happened tonight. Granted, wasn’t it way too early to even be thinking about that? He’d literally just been inside you maybe fifteen minutes ago.

The uber came to a halt and you started, staring up at the foreboding face of his low-rise apartment building. Who knew that grey brick could look so ominous in the late night? Reluctantly you peeled yourself off the seat and out of the car, your feet leaden as you followed him to the front door. Axel spent the elevator ride up resting his head back on the wall, eyes closed and hands shoved in his pockets. A small voice in your head whispered that it might be funny to try and grab his hand, but you quickly smothered that thought. Once inside his apartment, you slowly started to beeline towards the couch, rubbing your eyes with your hands once your fatigue made itself well-known.

“Where you going?”

You paused, and inhaled deeply, trying to stretch out the tension in your shoulders. “I’m going to sleep.”

“You can sleep in my bed.” You turned, positive that you looked like a deer in headlights right about now. 

“You sure?”

Axel shrugged, yawning as he scratched at his stomach, t-shirt hitched around his wrist. “Why not?”

Why not indeed? That same voice from earlier reminded you that Riku probably didn’t have any qualms whatsoever about casual hook ups and faux affection; probably did the same things he did with you when the two of you were dating. He probably made them breakfast too, eggs in a basket and fresh fruit salad, maybe even taking the extra effort he sometimes did to cut a few pieces into paopu shapes and—

“Okay.” 

Maybe there was something fluttering below the surface of your expression, but he reached out a hand and tugged playfully on the hem of your shirt. “Don’t be such a wiener about it.” His hand trailed to the side and loosely linked with yours, leading you into his room.

Neither of you slept much that night.

~*~

“Tidus, get off your goddamn phone and stop creeping Yuna.”

Tidus jerked and looked up guiltily, his hand locking his phone screen. At least, that was the intention as he fumbled for a bit with the volume buttons, Yuna’s voice blaring from the tiny speakers as she spoke about preserving the rainforest. Eventually he managed, through some carefully disguised panic, and tossed his phone on an amp. “’Sup, guys?”

Roxas rolled his eyes, kicking his feet out as he sank lower into his lawn chair. “It’s been a week, man. Get over it. Go dick around with Selphie again or something.”

“Nah, this girl is different. _Different_. Like there’s something about her and I don’t know what it is, but she’s just—”

“Fuck, man, shut up,” Roxas groaned, covering his ears.

“Just because you don’t have feelings doesn’t mean other people can’t have them, asshole,” Tidus sniffed, and rounded on Sora. “You uh…heard from Ven lately?”

Sora sighed, wilting in his chair as he fixed Tidus with a world-weary gaze. “She hasn’t said anything about you.” Tidus huffed and picked up his phone again, unashamedly going back to Yuna’s Instagram. “Hey, Sora. How’s it going, Sora? How’s your life been, Sora? Sorry I’ve been a self-involved dick and don’t care about anything going on in your life, Sora,” Sora grumbled, scrolling through his own feed. Without looking up, Tidus flipped him off.

“What’s going on?”

Roxas looked up from his self-imposed exile. “I never thought I’d be glad to see your face.”

Riku dropped down into a chair, setting his bass down beside him. “Missed you too, dickbag.”

“Hey, buddy,” Tidus said with a bright grin, leaning forward on his elbows. “How you been?”

“Yuna hasn’t told Rikku anything,” Riku replied automatically, and Tidus deflated. “I’d tell you if you had a chance, man. You should probably just let this one go.”

“Easy coming from the guy who takes home a different girl every night,” Tidus grumbled, resuming his scrolling. 

“Is this all you guys do now?” When nobody responded, Riku sighed and dug out his own phone, lazily typing out a few texts.

“Aw, _fuck_.” Three pairs of eyes snapped up. Tidus looked pained, shoulders slumped and head hanging low as he cradled his phone in his hands between his knees. Roxas scooted his chair forward in an impressive cacophony of shrieks and squeaks, and gently plucked the device from his friend’s limp fingers as Riku shot him a dirty look. 

“So she has a photo with a guy. Who cares?”

“Let me see,” Sora said, snatching the phone out of Roxas’s hands. His eyebrows shot up beneath his hair, and Riku’s interest was piqued. He motioned until Sora turned the screen towards him, and his brow furrowed. 

“I’m with Roxas. What’s the deal?”

Tidus grabbed his phone back, fingers tapping away as he muttered something unintelligible under his breath, finally displaying his phone for all to see again, the man’s face in question filling the screen. “Look at this guy. He’s handsome as shit— I can’t compete with that. Look—” a few more violent swipes later, “he’s even part of the goddamn UN.” 

Roxas’s eyes narrowed. “Pretty sure that’s just a club—”

“Doesn’t matter; he’s fucking perfect. Look at those baby blues!” Tidus heaved a world-weary sigh. “I’d fuck him.”

“You don’t even know if they’re together.”

“Listen, if,” Tidus paused and eyed his screen, “Seymour Guado asked me out, I’d sure as fuck say yes.”

“Sounds like you’re going after the wrong person,” Riku snarked and his friend’s eyes narrowed.

“Everyone’s on the spectrum, asshole. Don’t be a dick just because you’re cheesed someone’s pinched your bird—”

“Are we still saying that shit?” Riku grumbled, and Roxas grinned.

“Did we hit a sore spot? Your ego still bruised Axel pinched your bird?”

“It’s not even fucking funny.”

Roxas’s grin grew wider as he watched Riku cross his arms. “It’s pretty funny.”

Tidus waved an impatient hand in between the two boys. “That was a nice moment, but can we get back to the crisis at hand which is that I’m going to die alone and unloved because the girl of my dream is dating someone else?”

“Hey man, you said it yourself.” Roxas twirled a drumstick in his hand. “He’s a good-looking guy, clearly does a fuck ton of good in the world, and he’s older. Just give it up and date someone on your own level. Isn’t Selphie back off her hot and cold shit anyway?”

“Going back to Selphie after Yuna is like driving a Gummi after owning an Audi.”

“First of all, don’t talk shit about Lanes Between. We have some sick go-karting memories there, so don’t be a dick,” Sora retorted, miffed. “Second, talking smack about a girl who gave you attention is even more of a dick move.”

“But you defending go-karting before Selphie isn’t?”

Sora gaped fish-mouthed at his friend, his indignation making him swell ever so slightly as Riku quickly stepped in. “Sora has a point, Ti. That wasn’t cool.”

Tidus laughed. “Why, because you’re so good at being a stand-up guy with all the girls you fuck around with?”

“They know what they’re getting into.”

Tidus grabbed Riku’s phone out of his hand, and pointed at the obscene number of texts sitting on his phone. “Do they? Really? ‘Cause it doesn’t look like it.”

Riku rescued his phone and pocketed it, brows furrowed. “How is this about me now?”

“It’s not. He just doesn’t like being called out,” Roxas said with a yawn. 

“Once again. You don’t have feelings. Your opinion doesn’t— will you stop fucking drumming while I’m trying to speak?” Roxas’s shit-eating grin was back in full effect as he stared Tidus down, punctuating the end of his friend’s question with a cymbal. 

“Sounds like you’re just pissed somebody pinched _your_ bird.” Tidus turned red, mouth opening and closing uselessly as Riku cracked a smile.

“You’re right. It is pretty fucking funny.”

“Let’s just play,” Tidus said stiffly, settling back into his chair and grabbing his guitar.

“Sure. Let’s just sweep shit under the rug and play music nobody wants to hear.” Roxas shrugged at the accusatory look Tidus shot him. “Just stating the facts, man. Pretty sure our Insta followers dropped by like ten yesterday.”

“Just—Count us in already,” Tidus muttered. 

The afternoon sped by, the witty banter and camaraderie slowly returning to its original levels, everything neatly pushed to the side much as Roxas had predicted. Eventually Tidus stretched and nodded, satisfied. “I think we’re good. Let’s run it through.”

He wiggled deeper into his chair, the plastic protesting noisily as he smiled, and strummed. “ _Well, last night these two bouncers and one of 'em's alright, the other one's the scary one. His way or no way, totalitarian. He's got no time for your looking or breathing how he don't want you to, so step out the queue!_ ” 

Riku swept in, chuckling a little at the energy buzzing through Roxas’s eyes as he threw himself into the music, vigorously nodding his head as he played. “ _He makes examples of you and there's naught you can say! Behind they go through to the bit where you pay and you realize then that it's finally the time to walk back past ten-thousand eyes in the line!_ ”

Sora’s feet were tapping along, and the minute he started to play he leapt to his feet, dancing from side to side as he laughed, giddy with energy. “ _And you can swap jumpers and make another move! Instilled in your brain, you've got something to prove to all the smirking faces and the boys in black._ ” Tidus grinned and hopped to his feet as well, lungs filling as he nearly yelled, “ _Why can't they be pleasant? Why can't they have a laugh? He's got his hand in your chest, he wants to give you a duff! Well, secretly I think they want you all to kick off. They want arms flying everywhere and bottles as well! It's just something to talk about, a story to tell, yeah!_ ”

Roxas was headbanging so fast his hair was a blur, and for a brief moment Sora was convinced he was going to knock himself out on a cymbal. “ _Well, I'm so glad they turned us all away; we'll put it down to fate! I said a thousand million things that I could never say this morning. Got too deep, but how deep is too deep?_ ”

Tidus did his signature hip wiggle towards Riku, eyebrows waggling up and down until the older boy rose to his feet as well, trying to hide a smirk with an eye roll. Roxas laughed, loud and clear in the brief interlude and then immediately went back to throwing his limbs around, nearly bouncing off his stool. “ _Well, this town's a different town today! Said, this town's a different town to what it was last night. You couldn't have done that on a Sunday!_ ”

Tidus spun in a tight circle, nimbly dodging the trailing cords that threatened to trip him up as he sang. “ _And that girl's a different girl today! Said, that girl's a different girl to her you kissed last night. You couldn't have done that on a Sunday…of course not!_ ”

The three boys jumped in unison. A lone passerby on the sidewalk eyed them skeptically before shaking their head and continuing on. “ _Well, I'm so glad they turned us all away; we'll put it down to fate! I thought a thousand million things that I could never think this morning. Got too deep, but how deep is too deep?_ ”

They all settled down, Sora’s sneakers squeaking on the ground as he continued to dance, a live wire contained inside the body of a teenage boy. Roxas couldn’t resist and was lightly tapping along in the background; the careful anchor keeping Sora from absolutely running away with his solo. Tidus’s voice grew hushed, mirth sparkling in his eyes and in that moment Riku knew he was reliving the party, the sheer debauchery they’d gotten up to. He wondered if Marluxia had ever gotten over getting his ass handed to him by a high schooler? 

“ _Last night, what we talked about it made so much sense, but now the haze has ascended. It don't make no sense anymore._ ” 

Roxas snickered and said something that sounded like, “You’re my forever” as Tidus blatantly ignored him.

“ _Said, last night, what we talked about it made so much sense! But now the haze has ascended; it don't make no sense anymore…oh!_ ” He started jumping and Riku felt the tug to jump with him and eventually they were all a flurry of arms and legs, sweat flying from Sora’s hair and rolling down Roxas’s face as they all shouted along until Riku’s last note trailed off into the warm autumn air. 

“That was some good shit,” Tidus said, grabbing his water bottle and promptly downing half of it. 

“Yeah, must be nice to get your feelings about your non-relationship off your chest,” Roxas snorted and Tidus scowled.

“The song was about the whole weekend, asshat. Like it or not we had some key bonding time then. You’re stuck with me for life.”

“I’m dropping your sorry ass as soon as I can,” Roxas chuckled, flicking his bottle cap at Tidus’s head.

“You guys think about where you’re applying yet?”

Tidus groaned and collapsed into his chair, idly strumming his guitar as he turned narrowed eyes towards Riku. “You sound like my old man.”

The older boy took a swig of his own drink. “I thought the deadline was coming up.”

“Yeah, add more pressure, why don’t you.”

“I’ve already applied to my top three,” Sora chirped and Riku grinned, jerking his head towards his best friend.

“He’s got it all figured out.”

“We can’t all be like the Happy Camper over there,” Tidus said with a scowl. “He’s either going to be with you, his future girl, or family.” 

Sora flushed. “Kairi’s not my girl.”

Roxas rolled his eyes. “She might as well be. You guys are up each other’s virtual asses all fucking day long.” 

“She hasn’t texted me once today!” Sora insisted, crossing his arms and Roxas smirked.

“And how bad does that bother you?” His twin stayed resolutely silent, impassive save for his pursed lips and Roxas laughed. “That’s what I thought.”

Riku tapped his water bottle against the side of his leg, and nodded at Roxas. “Where you thinking of going?”

“Twilight U.”

“That’s it? No safety?”

“Nope.” Roxas popped the ‘p’, smirking as he crushed his empty bottle with his fist.

“Yeah, he’s nuts,” Tidus supplied helpfully at the dumbfounded expression on Riku’s face.

“You sure that’s a good idea? I heard acceptance is a goddamn mission, and Dean DiZ is a total dick—”

“And picky as hell. Yeah, I know. But I don’t care. It’s T-town or nothing.”

There was another beat of silence, three out of the four boys baffled by the brazen confidence in front of them, then Riku rounded on Tidus. “You got a 1% success rate plan too, or what?”

Tidus shrugged sullenly. “I’m applying for blitz scholarships.”

“Where?”

“…ir…”

Roxas cackled. “What was that, Ti?”

“SPIRA,” Tidus yelled, and his nose wrinkled at the look Riku was giving him. “Not because of Yuna. I was planning on blitzing at Spira, Midgar, or Luca before I even knew she was there.” Thankfully he was saved from a good ten minutes of chirping as Sora’s phone went off and he practically ripped his shorts trying to grab it from his pocket as Riku snorted in disbelief. Sora sighed and tossed his phone to the side as Roxas howled with laughter.

“Jesus, man. Act a little more desperate, why don’t you?” Roxas managed to choke out. 

“Shut up.” Sora sank lower into his chair. “It’s weird, okay? I barely saw her last weekend, and we talk every day and she hasn’t replied since I texted her like five hours ago.”

Riku hid his smile. “She’s probably busy.”

“Busy doing what,” Sora all but whined, and his best friend had to resist the urge to smack the back of his head in a gesture that was reserved solely for Tidus. 

“I dunno. Whatever Kairi does. Just forget about it.”

Riku’s advice was easier said than done, but was made infinitely easier by the fact that Sora had absolutely no idea that his love interest in question was just a hop and a skip away, currently standing on your front porch. After a few seconds of waiting the front door finally opened, and Kairi smiled warmly at Mira. “Hey! How’s it going?”

Mira, torn between being starstruck that the older sister of her best friend was acknowledging her and being miffed that her romantic rival was actually ballsy enough to talk to her, just nodded stiffly and let Kairi in. Edging around the 13-year-old pillar of salt in the foyer, Kairi took the stairs two at a time and knocked incessantly at your bedroom door, only stopping once the handle turned. She gave you a soft smile that was undercut by a steely gaze, and was met with your appropriately cowed expression in return. 

“Hi.”

“Don’t ‘hi’ me,” Kairi said, voice flat as she crossed her arms. You waved her in, shutting the door firmly behind her as she settled on your bed. “You’ve been avoiding me since last weekend.”

You shuffled awkwardly from side to side, rubbing your arms as your eyes darted around your room. “It’s complicated.”

“No, it’s not.” You shrank a little at the blunt edge in Kairi’s voice; if she noticed you recoiling, she chose to ignore it. “You hooked up with Axel. Believe me, I don’t want to talk about you sleeping with my brother because that’s disgusting on so many levels,” her nose wrinkled as she shuddered, “but it feels like it came out of left field.”

“That’s not totally true—”

“We’re not counting whatever weird friendship the two of you had before,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I’m talking about how something happened and the two of you stopped speaking to each other and _both_ of you refuse to tell me about it, and now this?” 

You groaned and rubbed a hand against your eyes, wondering if you’d be able to bolt out the door. “I told you. It’s complicated—”

“That just sounds like an excuse,” she snapped. “Sit down, stop trying to avoid the conversation, and actually talk to me.”

Your temper flared and your jaw clenched, and for a second you had half a mind to tell her to get out, but the worried crease in her brow stilled your tongue. Kairi paused as you reluctantly shuffled over to your chair and sank into it. She tucked her hair behind her ear, voice growing softer as she leaned forward. “Are you sure that was a good idea? I’m not saying you can’t do what you want, but this all happened after that blow-out with Riku and—”

“If he’s allowed to fuck around so am I,” you said flatly.

“I’m not saying you can’t. You’re allowed to do what you want, but using Axel as a band-aid seems like a really bad idea.” Kairi took in a deep breath and fidgeted with the edge of your duvet. “Do you even like him?”

“I do,” you snapped, ignoring for the moment the inner turmoil that had been gnawing away at you for the entirety of the past week, the effects of which had only been compounded by a decidedly quiet Axel that left you staring at your phone more often than not. The sharp twist in your stomach was making you irritated, nauseated, and feeling decidedly small. “What, are you worried I’m just using him?” 

Kairi’s face crumpled ever so slightly. “…I don’t know. I’m just worried that somebody’s going to get hurt.” 

This time you crossed your arms, slouching in your seat as your nails dug into your skin. “Did you ever think it might be me?”

“Yes.”

Her answer hung in the air, bleeding melancholy that stained every single breath you took. 

“He’s my brother and I love him, but I’ve seen what he’s like with girls and I’m…” She went back to playing with your duvet, eyes fixed on her fingers. “I don’t think he’d hurt someone he cares about and I think he cares about you, but I don’t know how much.”

Your throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, your mouth sealed shut with tar. “What?”

She shook her head minutely, and finally met your eyes. “I _know_ he cares about you, but I don’t know if it’s enough.”

“That’s fine,” you said almost automatically, feeling yourself shrink smaller inside your own body with every passing second. “I don’t want a relationship anyway.”

There it was. That’s what she was so worried about; little did she know you were already another notch in his belt. She didn’t know about the kiss, the midnight drives, the dinner; she didn’t need to know about the nervous nights as you stared at your phone, wondering why he was taking so long to reply. Compartmentalizing your emotions would be easy. It was a bad habit you’d built with Seb; how hard would it be to go back? To be honest you didn’t even know what you wanted with Axel, having barely managed to make it past the first layer of your increasingly confusing thoughts and feelings about the situation. It was almost as if Kairi had given you an easy out: there was no need to process your feelings if you denied having any in the first place. 

Kairi’s face slowly lit up, relief making her perk up. “Really?” 

You nodded solemnly, hoping the slight twitch of your lips into a frown wasn’t obvious. “Really.”

She eyed you carefully, and then satisfied with whatever neutral expression you’d pasted on, she smiled fully and hopped onto her feet. “Okay, good! Can we please go do something fun now?”

You arched an eyebrow at her, smirking. “You don’t want to go see your boyfriend?”

Kairi’s face flushed almost immediately as she hotly declared, “He’s not my boyfriend!”

“But you knew exactly who I was talking about.” She opened and closed her mouth a few times and then swept out of your room, loudly rattling off things the two of you could do as she led the way downstairs. Once you were settled in her car, humming and exclaiming at all the right points of her story, you snuck a peek at your phone and felt your heart swell ever so slightly in spite of yourself.

**New message: Axel**

**I miss you**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said I was going to update into two weeks? Clearly I meant two months. There's been a lot going on! Some of it good, some of it bad, all of it weird. I'm getting back into the swing of things, so hopefully the next update won't be another two months from now. Next chapter we'll be back in full swing of the dramatics; I was concerned if I continued on it would be another two months before this chapter was posted...
> 
> The real character growth is Tidus no longer unplugging his mic with his dance moves.
> 
> ALSO THANK YOU FOR OVER 100 KUDOS I FEEL SO BLESSED.


End file.
